Unknown Skies: book 2 Wandering Through
by Stormikat
Summary: StarClan decides they've interfered enough and close off communication.  Now Fawnfur and the others have to figure out why.  Honeybee runs away to be a kittypet, Ashpaw gets involved, and Sunstorm is just lost. Completed
1. Allegiance

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks for the readers who got through the first book. If you haven't read that yet, I would advise you do._

_Summery: The Dark Forest is gaining power and influencing cats. The four and the medicine cat have met, but now they need to figure out what to do to solve the problem. Honeybee is convinced she isn't a proper warrior and runs away. Now it's up to Lakefrost to find her so the prophesy will not fail and let the evil dead cats destroy ThunderClan, but Mallowstalk is even less encouraging than ever and Badgerface has been hiding a deep secret from the rest of the Clan. Fawnfur meanwhile is under judgement from her Clan and the tom who once loved her, turns against her, following after Morningsong instead. Sunstorm wakes up and finds herself lost in the skies. She has to find her way back to StarClan territory or remain Clanless forever. She meets two lonely cats in a black forest and is caught up in their troubles. Unknown to her, a cat is tracking her down, getting ever closer. _

* * *

**_Allegiances_**

**ShadowClan**

**Leader** Fallingstar- light brown tabby she-cat with gray markings on her chest, belly and legs

**Deputy** Tigerheart*- dark brown tabby tom

**Medicine Cat **Flametail*- ginger tom

**Warriors**

Snowbird- pure white she-cat with blue eyes

Ivytail- black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat

Scorchtree^- dark gray tom

Redsky^- mottled brown and ginger tom

Dawncloud^- cream-furred she-cat apprentice: Wrenpaw

Olivespot^- tortoiseshell she-cat with a scarred tail

Stoneheart- gray tabby tom

Brownfeather- dark tabby tom apprentice: Ashpaw

Acornpelt- tortoiseshell-like tom with dark tabby head

Dappleflower- mottled brown she-cat with cream colored spots apprentice: Bluepaw

Orangestripe- ginger tom with orange stripes and white patches, one of Smoky's and Floss's kits

Knotfur- she-cat with long, tangled, black fur, one of Smoky's and Floss's kits

Lakefrost- light gray tom with white spots on face and blue eyes

Mallowstalk- ginger she-cat with black paws

Honeybee-light brown tabby she-cat with gray markings

Badgerface-dark brown tabby tom with black back and face with green eyes

**Apprentices**

Wrenpaw- brown she-cat with silver belly

Ashpaw- smokey gray tom with black paws

Bluepaw- silver-blue she-cat with white belly

**Queens**

Batwing- gray she-cat with large ears and black tail, mother of Acornpelt's two kits: Chestnutkit (light brown she-cat) and Pinekit (dark brown tabby tom with gray chin and paws).

**Elders**

Oakfur- small brown tom

**ThunderClan**

**Leader** Bramblestar- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Deputy** Cinderheart- gray tabby she-cat

**Medicine Cat** Jayfeather- gray tabby tom  
_apprentice:_ Fawnfur-light ginger-brown she-cat tabby with two white spots on her ear

**Warriors**

Whitewing- white she-cat with green eyes  
_apprentice_:_ Tigerpaw_

Sorreltail- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes

Squirrelflight- dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Lionblaze- golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Toadstep*- black and white tom

Bumblethroat- very pale gray tom with black stripes (?)

Dovetooth- gray frosted she-cat (?)

Ivyflight- light tabby she-cat (?)  
_apprentice: Meadowpaw_

Dewstep-Small gray tom with one white paw, green eyes, claw scarred throat

Firesong- bright ginger she-cat

Pricklethorn-dark tom with dark splotches  
_apprentice: Rosepaw_

Owlface- long-haired silver tom with a large white face

Frostshine- white she-cat with a gray sheen and silver tabby markings on her legs, front paw split in two during battle

Nightshade- black tom with faint stripes on his tail, two scars going down his front legs

Lilyblossom-soft creamy she-cat with brown underbelly and amber eyes

Greeneyes- white she-cat with green eyes

Morningsong- light ginger-brown tabby she-cat

**Apprentices**

Rosepaw- light brown tom with white paws

Meadowpaw- white she-cat with gray and ginger spots

Tigerpaw- dark brown tabby tom with black chest and tail

**Queens**

Lightningwhisker- black she-cat with cream-colored stripes on her legs, mother of Bumblethroat's two kits: Blackkit (black she-cat with white chest and paws) and Graykit (gray tom with dark gray stripes)

**Elders**

Brackenfur- golden tabby tom

Cloudtail- long white-haired tom with blue eyes

Brightheart- white she-cat with ginger patches, half of her face is scarred

**WindClan**

**Leader** Onestar- brown tabby tom

**Deputy** Sunfrost^-tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead

**Medicine Cat** Kestrelflight*- mottled gray tom

**Warriors**

Silverfoot- silver tabby tom

Timberleaf- gray she-cat with thick swirling stripes apprentice: Buddingpaw-yellow she-cat with white around eyes and paws

Mountainheart- large dark brown tabby tom

Swiftroot- white she-cat with long fur on her legs and one brown stripe on her back

**RiverClan**

**Leader** Rainstar- mottled gray-blue tom

**Deptuy** Pinefur- very short-haired tabby she-cat

**Medicine Cat** Willowshine- gray tabby she-cat

**Warriors **

Tigereye-golden tabby she-cat with one amber eye and one blue

Gorseclaw- gray tom with ginger patches on legs

Dustyhead- silver she-cat with pale brown head and front paw

**Summerheat Camp **

**Leader** Raven- dark tortoiseshell tom

**Deputy** Beaverpaw- brown tom with black and white tortoiseshell spotting, originally from ThunderClan

**Leafcat (medicine cat)**  
Leafpool- light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes  
_apprentice:_ Lily- white she-cat missing an eye and an ear

_Dead Cats: _

**StarClan **

Sunstorm- light ginger-brown tabby she-cat, former ThunderClanner, had a former gift from StarClan

Redfur- ginger tom, former WindClanner

**Dark Forest **

Eveningbreeze- dark gray, almost black, she-cat with dusted ginger belly and chest  
Tigerclaw- big dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws  
Fernstripe- light tabby she-cat  
Hawkfrost- dark brown tom with a white underbelly and ice blue eyes

**Others: **

Hawthorn- blue-eyed white she-cat with black belly

Forest- yellow ginger tom with brown stripes and one blue and one green eye

* * *

**(?) means I don't know warrior name **

*** different in some of my other stories **

**Thank you for reading this. Hope the rest of the story is better. **

**^ is Erins have made the warrior names but I am too lazy to change it and I prefer mine **

**real (as seen in Omen of the Stars): **

**SC **

**DAWNPELT, OLIVENOSE, SCORCHFUR, REDWILLOW **

**WD **

**Sunstrike**


	2. Prologue

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter. Any similarities between her fourth arc and this trilogy are accidental. Mine takes place seasons in the future to her books. Of course not all of her cats are dead, just a bit older._

_Disclaimer 2: I do not own the song_

The wheels of life keep turning.  
Spinning without control;  
The wheels of the heart keep yearning.  
For the sound of the singing soul.  
-Gates of Dawn by Secret garden

* * *

**Prologue**

Hickory, elm, oak, and rowan mixed with spruce and pine trees. The leaves turned muted gold and red above, blocking the sky from view as they mingled with the needles. Undergrowth grew thick and tangled between the trunks, hiding roots and fallen branches. Through it all permeated a thick smoky haze as if a fire burned constantly. Above the forest a large black sky, void of stars or moon, hung above as an ever present reminder just how far away from StarClan they really were. In this land of eternal night, they were punished to walk alone.

Yet they were no longer alone. Tigerstar had gathered them. Gathered all the cats rejected by StarClan and their precious code. Codes that many of these cats believed they'd followed or else utterly refused to. She was one of them. She'd chosen the way that would best help her Clan. Save them from falling into nothing. They'd been dying, growing weak with feeble leaders and disloyal Clanmates. She'd tried her best, just to be rejected by them and then StarClan.

"I didn't even know StarClan existed," Eveningbreeze growled, eyes on the other cats. "I didn't know I faced this place if I died. But if I had, I would have still been against them."

No one gave a reply. She knew they hadn't heard her. They didn't even know she was there. At least not yet. She sat in the back of the crowd, eyes on the thin, ragged coats of her fellow prisoners. They faced away from her, eyes on the dark brown tabby who paced in front of them. His amber eyes flashed as he spoke.

"You have been improving," Tigerstar meowed. "Your fighting skills excel with practice; you prove your intelligence and motivation with every day. We find others hiding in the darkness to help our plight, but there will never be enough of us. Not enough to take on everyone at once. We were daring to not follow the rest of the Clans, to see StarClan's code could not solve everything. We held the answers in our own paws. And StarClan rejected us. They like conformity. They hate those that seek for power or for improvement. Yet they are the ones that control everything. Even our descendants' lives. We must free the Clans from them. Or else free StarClan from the Clans."

He smiled and the other cats roared their agreements.

"We must destroy StarClan's favorite Clan first," Tigerstar continued over their yowling. "The ones they've gifted season after season. We must kill ThunderClan."

Again the cats yowled, many jumping to their feet as excitement coursed through them. After so long of hiding in the shadows, hearing and smelling others but not able to see them except by chance, these cats were able to do something. Able to interact with the world. Now they wanted to. To get their revenge on the Clans. All the Clans.

"You know our plans. I've kept you aware of our goals. We are nearing the night when we can break free from our Dark Forest. Our living helpers are ready. They seek their revenge against StarClan as do we. Or else they are deluded in to thinking they will have power. Are not the living foolish?"

The cats harshly laughed and Eveningbreeze too had to smile. The living either thought they would be the new rulers of the lake once the old life was destroyed, or else they didn't care about ruling but were blinded by their own anger. Both types were useful to the Dark Forest. These cats were gaining followers who would help on the dark night.

"Would the representatives of the Clans approach," Tigerstar meowed. He flicked his tail, amber eyes narrow as he searched the crowd for the five cats.

Eveningbreeze stood. Her dark gray pelt blended nicely into the darkness and she was little more than a shadow as she made her way through the bodies. Her ginger belly was the only light on her fur and she knew she stood out strikingly. She walked forward coming to Tigerstar last. The others had been in the front, wanting to be seen and be near their glorious leader. She was different. She didn't seek to please him. It was all for herself. Let the other cats look to her when she spoke, respect her when she came.

It worked, all eyes turned to her as the last cat. They watched her walk, watched her slightly bow her head to Tigerstar, not enough to show servitude, just enough, as if equals. He nodded back, a very stiff nod. She turned away and went to the line where the others waited.

WindClan was first. A long furred black tom stood up and faced the crowd.

"Buddingpaw has listened to me and has started speaking with the other apprentices. They've found more entrances to the underground caves. They will start informing WindClan's warriors about them and encourage them to look around. There they might just find ways to get into other territories."

"Well done," Tigerstar meowed. He nodded to the next cat.

"RiverClan is doing well," a gray and silver she-cat meowed. "However, the twolegs are getting closer to the camp and taking fish. They are starting to get hungry. Dustyhead will start heading into ShadowClan to hunt. She might just convince a few others to go with her."

Tigerstar nodded again and turned to his son, Hawkfrost. The brown tabby, the only white on his chest and belly, stood and addressed his father. His icy blue eyes had only eyes for the grand leader.

"The kits of ShadowClan are growing restless. I've convinced them to go wandering. They may end up in RiverClan or in ThunderClan where they will leave their scent and perhaps convince Fallingstar and the others they might have been stolen. If I can lead them to the tunnels and WindClan finds them it would be better still."

"Yes," Tigerstar agreed a smile on his face. "We may be able to have them meet up. And once the Clans realize WindClan have been hiding the secret tunnels from them, they will grow angry. Better yet to have the kits die down below. ShadowClan cannot resist retaliation then."

Hawkfrost seemed to glow with praise.

Eveningbreeze never looked his way and kept a frown on her face. Listen to them, she thought, trying to please him. Hear what I did, wasn't it good? Oh please agree. She snorted. It was as if they had no confidence in themselves that things would work out. They didn't trust their cats well enough. Perhaps they hadn't found the right motivation, she thought and then smirked. Oh, her contact had the motivation all right. The rage and anger at StarClan, not caring what happened to her Clan as long as she got her revenge. Now that was the type of cat to rely on.

"Eveningbreeze," Tigerstar meowed.

She realized it was her turn. She licked her front paw and then stood.

"My contact is agreeable," she meowed. "She is ready for the next level. She will start a fight over the border. Already she has followers, each willing to work for her. Though they don't realize she is on our side, she has promised them things after the other Clans are gone. Out of all our living, I think she will be the most successful."

Hawkfrost glared at her and she watched him from the corner of her eyes.

"After all," continued the former ShadowClan cat as she sat, "A warrior is much more useful than kits or apprentices."

The black tom representing WindClan glared at her and even Hawkfrost spat, baring his teeth at her.

She smiled openly at him now, pleased she could goad him. Just see how much more useful I am than you, she said with her eyes. Even the cats in the crowd could sense the tension. They flexed their claws and sized up the cats around them. Ever willing to fight and to improve their skills, they were eager to use their claws. When their leaders started, they would too. It didn't matter for what cause as long as they could do something.

"Enough," Tigerstar growled. The cats settled down and the growling stopped, but the snarl never left Hawkfrost's face.

"We are pleased with any cats from the living Clans," Tigerstar meowed, narrowing his eyes at her. "Each are important in turning the cats against each other. Eveningbreeze, your cat has the best advantages for now, but that just means more is expected from you and her. Continue to improve on her rage, and we might just need to go to the lake to clean things up afterwards."

The dark gray she-cat smiled and felt her heart beat with pride. He did think she was right after all. He did appreciate her. But then he turned away without another word. Her breath caught. No, she was lying to herself. She just wanted to believe he saw her as more than just a tool. He was only using her like she used the ThunderClan she-cat. As tools for revenge.

_I want revenge against ShadowClan_, she thought to herself. _He wants to destroy ThunderClan_. He could care less about her. Only if she messed things up for him would he ever feel more about her.

She couldn't stop a growl. She didn't get any respect from him. She was better than all these cats. She'd helped him. She'd first started the idea. She'd contacted that lonely, angry she-cat and convinced her that StarClan was evil. With ThunderClan in her paws, she'd shown Tigerstar. He'd found her plan worthy for attention and took over, sending cats to all the Clans to find who would be more susceptible to them, who wanted attention or power or revenge. Now he'd seemed to have forgotten. He didn't appreciate her anymore. She wanted to stand up and strike that arrogant look off of his face. How dare he just turn away from her?

"And what news do you bring?" the dark tabby asked the last cat.

"StarClan gave a prophesy," the small ginger tom meowed. "And they've stopped communicating with the Clans."

The Dark Forest cats murmured in surprise.

"How long ago?" Tigerstar demanded.

"A half moon," the tom continued. "They seek balance. If they stop, then we will be forced to."

Tigerstar growled and his long claws plunged into the ground. "How much time do we have?"

"I don't know," the ginger meowed. "You visited the Clans for a long time before gathering the Dark Forest. We may not have long before the pool dries."

"As long as it stays until the next Gathering," Tigerstar meowed, his amber eyes slits. "That is all the time we need."

"What was this prophesy?" Eveningbreeze spoke up. All eyes turned to her and she pretended not to notice. "It must be important."

"I don't know," the ginger tom shook his head. "No one I know heard it."

"Yes," Tigerstar rumbled. "Only the dead medicine cats and leaders would have it. Of course they want to keep their power even in death."

The crowd murmured in agreement. Teeth flashed and growls sounded at the leaders who had forced them to come to this forest.

"Well I might be able to help with that," Eveningbreeze meowed. She smiled when all eyes turned to her again. "My contact saw."

Now Tigerstar's eyes widened and he approached her.

"What did she see?"

"Firestar came to a medicine cat and told her there was danger. He tried to tell her more when the StarClan leaders cut him off. They won't even let him protect his Clan. The Clans have nothing to go off of. They know nothing about us."

Tigerstar smiled. "Of course they won't let him say much. They also must have made sure he didn't stay long so they could keep this 'balance'."

He started to face the crowd of cats again. Eveningbreeze glared at him, her body tense. Just when she had his attention, he had to turn away. It was so frustrating.

"And my contact saw something else," she hissed.

Everyone stared at her again. Eyes flicked in the silence. What other news did this dark she-cat have, they wondered.

_Oh, I have a lot_, she thought. _But I won't tell you everything, just enough to keep you interested and keep the power in my paws._

"Fawnfur, the medicine cat, contacted four ShadowClan warriors," she meowed when she could feel the silence becoming too much even for Tigerstar. If she hadn't told him, he might have clawed it out of her. "They apparently are supposed to help stop us. It's a shame Hawkfrost never heard about this before."

The tom in question snarled at her. "I-"

"Was busy playing with kits," she yawned.

That got a laugh out of almost all the cats. Even Tigerstar looked amused.

"Perhaps you should concentrate on the Clan and what is going on in it. You might find more than kits to help us," the tabby leader meowed.

Hawkfrost glared. "The cats don't want to listen to me. They've had enough of fighting and ruling. They want nothing to do with it anymore. If Eveningbreeze hadn't gotten them all scared of fighting or listening to dreams and not being weak, I might have more than kits helping me."

"Don't blame me for your problems," Eveningbreeze spat at him. She got on her feet and growled into his face. "If I have to go there and find a way to get cats on our side or helping us, it will show just how useless you really are. You're only here because of your father."

She could hear the other cats yowl around her. She knew they believed her. They all could see that son and father were close, that Hawkfrost would do anything for Tigerstar. He was given a higher position in the forest because his father was the leader of them all. A few must have resented it. Hawkfrost must have resented it. That they only followed him and listened to him because of his father.

He growled and stood up to match her. He lowered his shoulders, ready to attack. She flicked her tail and let her claws out of their sheaths. She waited for his move.

Tigerstar stood between them. "Stop."

"Oh, so you need your father to help you out of this one too?" Eveningbreeze meowed cheerfully.

Hawkfrost yowled and leapt around Tigerstar. This time the dark brown tabby did nothing. Instead he looked at Eveingbreeze with narrowed eyes.

_You wanted this_, he seemed to say, _so you are going to get it_.

She braced at Hawkfrost came down.

_**-Line-**_

"Maybe this will help," Fernstripe meowed. She pulled the leaves off of a low bush. The light tabby managed to avoid being scratched by the reaching thorns. She held the browning leaves in her mouth and turned to her sister.

Eveningbreeze glared at her. She wasn't any medicine cat so why was she even trying? She held still as Fernstripe came near. The tabby dropped the leaves onto her sister's side. She pressed them down with her nose. They soaked up the blood.

Eveningbreeze had licked herself clean after the battle, but her wounds still ached. No one had come off the victor as she and Hawkfrost fought. But she believed she'd won. She'd had him on the ground, claws deep in his chest, his belly clawed open. Although his teeth had been buried in her neck. At that point, neither were giving up and no one could actually die again, so Tigerstar had separated them, telling them to go to different parts of the forest like some sort of kits.

She had limped away. Her sister found her later and tried to take care of her. Eveningbreeze tolerated the tabby she-cat only because she insisted on staying. They'd found each other after they'd died. Not even a day apart, they'd both been killed by the Clan. Eveningbreeze on the claws of her father, Fernstripe after being swallowed by the ground and buried in one of the underground tunnels.

After traveling together for a short time, who knew how long in the darkness undivided by daylight, a cat found them and brought them to the camp. There they met Tigerstar and heard how he'd been gathering cats to get revenge on StarClan. He didn't quite know how at the moment, but he needed the army first.

Since then, the camp had grown and Tigerstar finally knew what he was doing.

_With my help of course_, Eveingbreeze thought as she watched her sister gather more leaves.

"Do you ever wish there was prey?" Fernstripe meowed. "Sometimes I get hungry, but I can't find anything here."

"We're dead, mouse-brain," Eveningbreeze growled. "We don't need to eat to live."

"But I still want to," Fernstripe meowed quietly.

Eveningbreeze snorted, but she agreed. For a time she'd been hungry, but the feeling faded as the seasons passed down below. Now she didn't care. She only waited to heal after every battle, just so she could fight again.

"I don't know why you even listen to him," Fernstripe was meowing, spreading out the leaves on the worst of the wounds.

Eveningbreeze looked up, her ears flat. "Who?" she meowed.

"Tigerstar," Fernstripe replied, pulling off the wetter leaves. She didn't even look at her sister. "It's like you want him to pay attention to him or something. Like you love him."

Eveningbreeze rose up and struck her sister. Blood dripped down the tabby face. Fernstripe sat down, cowering away from her sister.

"Sorry," she whimpered. "I didn't mean it. It just seemed like when you were with Deepforest was all."

Eveningbreeze blinked and lowered her paw. The claws came back in.

"It is, isn't it?" she murmured, remembering the tom from across the mountains. How she wished he'd died that day as well. Then they could have spent the rest of time together in the dark. "He doesn't even know it does he? Just like Deepforest wasn't aware I loved him."

Fernstripe quickly shook her head but didn't otherwise move.

Evenignbreeze snorted. "I must have a thing for dark brown tabbies. First Brownfeather, then Deepforest, now Tigerstar?" She shook her head. "I can't believe myself."

"Well," Fernstripe tried to be helpful. "At least you're both dead."

Eveningbreeze glared at her sister and spread her claws.

"Sorry," Fernstripe squeaked and lowered her head. "I really only wanted to say I thought it was odd you were taking his orders."

Eveningbreeze frowned. Who else's was she supposed to take? He had these cats in his claws, no one else was going to take over leadership from him.

"Why are you even talking?" Eveningbreeze turned her back on her sister. "When you were alive, you didn't question things. You've changed."

"So have you," Fernstripe meowed quietly. "I always looked up to my sister. She didn't let anyone order her around. Now you listen to him constantly. He says don't go to the Darkpool, you don't. Unless he wants you to talk to that ThunderClan she-cat. You're letting him handle everything. But you and I both know this was entirely your plan."

Eveningbreeze frowned. For once her sister was actually talking sense.

"I guess dying changes a cat," she meowed quietly. She turned back around and faced her sister. "You are right. So I'm going to change some things."

Fernstripe stood up straight, her ears rising as she realized the danger had passed. "Like what?"

"I'm going to visit the lake," she meowed. "I'm sure I can do a much better job than Hawkfrost. I'm going to show Tigerstar just how much he needs me. I won't be second best. I am the she-cat who came up with everything. I deserve a bit of respect from him."

"So?" Fernstripe asked, padding after her sister as they started through the forest to the Darkpool.

"So, I'm going to visit some cats. I might even let you do it too."

She grinned and Fernstripe smiled back. Things were definitely going to change, she decided.


	3. Chapter 1: Fawnfur

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter. Any similarities between her fourth arc and this trilogy are accidental. Mine takes place seasons in the future to her books._

_Disclaimer 2: I do not own the song_

And nights are full with weeping.  
For sins of the past we've sown;  
But, tomorrow is ours for the keeping,  
Tomorrow the future's shown.  
-Gates of Dawn by Secret Garden

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The patrol arrived at camp just before sunset. We entered the gorse and bramble wall, the quarry walls rising above us, topped by trailing vines and bushes. Blue sky changed to golden orange above the tree line. I watched Bramblestar nodded to the cats with him, dismissing them. I would have gone too if he hadn't called me back.

"Are you sure nothing is wrong?" my leader questioned.

"Nothing," I assured him. "They just told me to leave. They didn't like me near the border."

I spoke of ShadowClan. I'd been near the scentmarkers just that sunhigh, speaking to three ShadowClan warriors. Lakefrost's siblings. Of course what I didn't tell Bramblestar was that we were going to meet later. ThunderClan was suspicious of ShadowClan lately. They'd been guarding the border the whole quarter moon. Either to prevent us, ThunderClan, from going in, or to stop one of their own from leaving. Poor Lakefrost had been punished for seeing me just a quarter moon ago and he was confined to camp unless he left with a warrior escort. I'd heard about this from Honeybee, one of his sisters. I knew it was all my fault, and it hurt. Because I needed him. I needed him to stop my Clan from being destroyed and he was the only one willing to help. I might have gotten his siblings on my side today, but I didn't know how long they'd stay there.

"All right," Bramblestar meowed, getting my attention back on him. "Just don't go near them again. I don't know what they're up to, but it can't be good."

I dipped my head and started walking away. Then I felt eyes burning into my fur. I glanced over my shoulder. There I saw Owlface nearby, glaring at me with his yellow eyes. I wanted to glare right back, but instead I turned away and continued to the medicine cat's den. I didn't wait to see where he went.

I was angry with my Clanmate. Not only had he been the one to get Bramblestar and the patrol, cutting my meeting with the ShadowClan cats short, but he'd been padding after me this whole moon. Ever since my sister Sunstorm died, Owlface had focused on me being his mate. But I was destined to be a medicine cat. I didn't have time or a longing for a mate. Yet he insisted, following me wherever I went, cornering me, talking to me. Even Jayfeather was frustrated with the silver and white tom. My mentor sent warriors with me wherever I went. Mostly cats who found what Owlface was doing just as annoying as I did. They knew I had my duties and they could see Owlface was doing his best to convince me to break them.

Just this past quarter moon, after Owlface saw me with Lakefrost, he'd made me promise to spend time with him. In return, he'd say nothing about my meeting with ShadowClan's young warrior, or the one I would have had the night after. Lakefrost never showed the next night, frustrating my plans and forcing me to spend so many days with Owlface by my side. Having to hunt with him and go on patrols. Just that morning I'd gotten out of my promise when a patrol took the silver tom away. But he must have followed me as soon as he was done, finding me at the border.

I shook my head. Owlface was making everything more complicated than it should have been. I was trying to help ThunderClan, but he was working against me. I don't believe he knew it. I was keeping things a secret. Mostly because I didn't know what I should have been protecting my Clan from, and another, if I did tell, I didn't think anyone would believe me. Or even accept help from ShadowClan.

_Now I know what you were scared of, Mallowstalk,_ I thought to the ginger and black she-cat as I leapt up the quarry wall. The medicine cat den was ahead of me, a crack in the wall. She'd known ThunderClan wouldn't accept their help and I was beginning to think she'd be right. So for now, I had to keep the news of impending doom to myself. And hope Owlface wasn't telling anyone lies or truth about me. But I feared he already had.

"What do you mean?"

I looked up and met the sightless eyes of my mentor. I knew he'd already read my thoughts. Sometimes he just picked them up because they were loud. I knew his power and he knew my own- that I could see the past.

"It's Owlface," I meowed. "He brought Bramblestar and a patrol to the border when I was trying to speak with Lakefrost's siblings."

And I told him what happened. He was the only other cat in my Clan who knew the danger. From the start I'd told him everything. When Firestar visited me from StarClan with the message. What Lakefrost told me about the prophecy he'd received, and about all of our secret meetings. Out of all cats, I trusted my mentor the most. He knew how to keep secrets. He carried a few of his own.

"Now I think he's told the Clan about my meetings," I concluded when I finished. "They probably don't trust me anymore."

"Nonsense," he meowed. "They know you better than that."

I lowered my eyes. Did they really?

"You've served this Clan for moons," he assured me. "You let nothing sway you from your path. They have to see that."

I nodded, suddenly pleased. He was right of course. They wouldn't believe lies, or what they perceived to be lies. They had to know I had their interest at heart, no matter what I did.

"Now, look outside and tell me if the sun has started to set," he meowed.

I complied, turning around in the narrow tunnel to look back into the quarry. The sky above was darkening. The shadows deepening around me. Cats started coming through the camp entrance, getting ready to settle for the night.

"Yes," I called back to him. "I think it will be night soon."

"Are you going to come?" he meowed, walking up to my shoulder.

I looked at him in confusion. "To what?"

"The Moonpool," he meowed. "Didn't you see the half moon today?"

My ears went back and grew hot. I had completely forgotten about it. I had been caught up with Owlface and getting to the border alone that I hadn't noticed the growing moon. It was time for the medicine cats of every Clan to gather and visit the Moonpool.

"Of course I'll go," I meowed. Maybe I could finally ask StarClan for some answers. Now that I'd found the four they wanted me too, perhaps they'd finally tell me what the real danger was. I couldn't stand not knowing. They expected me to win against a foe I knew nothing about.

Jayfeather nodded and I quickly started out of the rock and down the short trail to the quarry floor. The dirt felt soft and dry underpaw. A few green sprouts dotted the area. A bush or two grew from the wall, providing dens for the nursery and apprentices.

As I looked around, I met the eyes of the few warriors still eating the last meal before they went to their nests. Owlface was among them. He sat with the young warriors, my sister among them. I noticed they really weren't eating as much as talking. They circled up, ears tilting to the silver tom.

My eyes narrowed and my mind jumped to perhaps the obvious. He was telling them something. Something that wasn't good for my reputation. I was looking at my Clanmate so much, that I wasn't aware I'd stopped walking.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" Jayfeather meowed behind me.

"Oh," I quickly got out of his way so he could get down to the quarry floor.

"What is the matter?" he meowed.

"I just know he's telling lies about me," I hissed, keeping my voice low.

"Really," Jayfeather snapped. "You're jumping at shadows. Stop working yourself up. He has nothing to go on or tell about you. Just let him be. Unless he starts padding after you, just don't think about him."

I lowered my ears, and looked away from the warriors. Jayfeather was probably right. But it hurt to know he thought I was overreacting. Maybe I was being silly and just wanted to think badly about Owlface.

Jayfeather passed by me and started for the tunnel. I walked after him, not looking toward my Clanmates. Even so, I thought I could feel their eyes on me. They were watching their medicine cats leave, I told myself, refusing to look at them.

Then it was Jayfeather who stopped abruptly. My face almost hit his tail. I tripped on my legs not to fall on him and suddenly I wondered who was acting more blind, him or me?

"Did we forget something?" I asked. I tried to remember if we were supposed to bring an herb with us to trade with one of the others. I wasn't certain, because I hadn't gone to the last meeting. I don't really remember what I'd done instead.

"Their thoughts," I heard him mutter as if he hadn't realized I'd asked a question.

I lowered an ear. If that was all he was going to say, then I was leading the way out of camp this time. I looked behind us and saw some of the warriors smiling, others staring at us. They probably wondered what our problem was. We were acting like rabbits balking at a fox.

"Come on," he suddenly meowed, turning around.

I dodged out of his way and then started following him as he went back to the middle of camp. He started for the quarry wall. I looked up to see the Highledge. We were going to see Bramblestar.

He pulled his way to the ledge and I jumped up after him. We entered into the cave. The darkness smelled like Bramblestar, but I could still smell the very faint scents of Firestar. Perhaps it was because his daughter Squirrelflight often came to visit Bramblestar. She wasn't there now. I could see Bramblestar curling up on his mossy nest. Bones lay near the den entrance, waiting for some apprentice to clean them up.

"Bramblestar," my mentor called.

The dark brown tabby opened his amber eyes and looked at us. I thought his eyes rested on me a bit too long and I felt like hiding behind Jayfeather. I shook of the kit-like thoughts and stood straighter. I was a medicine cat, the leader might get mad at me a few times, but I had my position and knowledge on my side as well as StarClan. No medicine cat should be scared of their Clan leader. That was one thing I'd learned by looking through the past.

"Yes?" Bramblestar asked and sat up. "Shouldn't you be on your way? The others will be waiting."

He looked between us.

Jayfeather nodded and flicked his tail. "I know. It won't harm them to wait a bit longer. It's not leafbare after all."

"What did you come to me for?" Bramblestar meowed. "Something so important that sharing tongues with StarClan can wait."

"There have been rumors in the camp," Jayfeather meowed. "I've heard them and find them disturbing."

I noticed how he said 'heard' instead of 'overheard'. Jayfeather was not nervous or ashamed to read others' minds. He just never told them he was doing it. Only Lionblaze and I knew how Jayfeather appeared so aware of every shifting current or path the Clan's mood was taking.

"What are these rumors?" Bramblestar questioned.

"The Clan seems to believe Fawnfur is seeing a ShadowClan tom and is going to tell Clan secrets to him."

My eyes widened and I couldn't stop a gasp from escaping. It was true? This was what he'd overheard? I suddenly felt sick.

"And you believe this isn't true?" Bramblestar asked. His amber eyes narrowed and glanced over at me.

"I do not," Jayfeather meowed. A hiss edged his words.

"Then perhaps we should ask Fawnfur ourselves," Bramblestar replied. "It isn't very kind of us to exclude her."

He openly stared at me now. "Is there any truth to these rumors?"

I stared at him, my mouth hanging open. I couldn't think of a thing to say. I hadn't even thought of coming up with an excuse or reasons for meeting with ShadowClan. I suppose I thought I'd gotten away with everything. I hadn't expected a challenge or explanation. I couldn't even think about lying to Bramblestar.

"How dare you ask that," Jayfeather growled before I could even answer. "She's been nothing but loyal to our Clan. She's trying to help us from being destroyed."

Bramblestar blinked slowly and kept the frown on his face. I suddenly realized he didn't even believe Jayfeather. He hadn't reacted to 'destroyed' at all.

"Just how has she helped?" Bramblestar meowed. "What are we supposed to be afraid of destroying us?"

Jayfeather blinked and even though he couldn't use his eyes, I knew the expression was the same for all cats. He didn't know what to say.

Bramblestar looked back over at me.

"Your mentor believes whatever it is you told him. But tell me now. How have you helped ThunderClan? You've met with ShadowClan cats, let them over the border, spoke with one Lakefrost closer than any Clan relation should be."

"I did not," I meowed, interrupting him.

Bramblestar narrowed his eyes and folded his ears down. I quickly stopped talking.

"The day Lionblaze and the patrol escorted Lakefrost and his siblings back to the border, you went along. Whitewing saw you and Lakefrost whispering to each other. Pelt to pelt, were her words. And just a quarter moon ago, Owlface says he say you with the ShadowClan tom again. But then to make sure Owlface wouldn't tell, you promised to hunt with him whenever he nodded. I know he's been interested in having you as a mate, and you used that to stop him from talking. That doesn't sound like the actions of a medicine cat, or of a loyal Clanmate."

"And who told you this?" Jayfeather meowed. His voice strained to be steady. I didn't turn to look at him. Afraid of what unsaid things Bramblestar would think it meant.

"Owlface told me the last," Bramblestar meowed. "After you went to the medicine cat den." He glanced at me and then back to Jayfeather. "I don't like hearing this."

"Then don't believe it."

"What else can I? Your story doesn't even make sense. You don't even know what is going on. Fawnfur can't give either of us a straight answer. I can't trust her right now. She needs to be watched."

"No," Jayfeather growled. "Leave her be. It is medicine cat business. I am in charge of her."

"Very well," Bramblestar meowed, his voice low. "Make sure this doesn't happen again. I'm hoping you can straighten her out. But if there is one more word about Fawnfur and that tom, I don't care if you say StarClan told her too."

Jayfeather nodded, but when I stared at him with wide eyes, I could see he was having a hard time not snarling. My mentor turned away and I quickly followed.

"You don't have anything to say?" Bramblestar called after me.

I glanced behind. My ears went back as I hurried out of the den. No I couldn't think of anything. I didn't think he'd believe me. It would just be more evidence for him to use against me. Twisting my words.

"What are we going to do?" I whispered as Jayfeather hopped to the quarry floor and marched for the entrance.

"We go see StarClan," he replied. "He believes Owlface more than us. He believes logic and ready answers. We need those answers to convince him. When we get to the Moonpool, I'm going to have some questions for our ancestors."

I nodded. I suddenly agreed. I couldn't just stand back and let things happen. I'd gotten the four they wanted. But now they needed to tell me what for. I only had a half moon now.

**-Line-**

"They must have gone ahead," Jayfeather meowed when we reached the stream on the WindClan border.

I breathed deeply and caught the scent of ShadowClan and RiverClan over the heather.

"I had to eat," I meowed as an apology. I hadn't had a meal since that morning. At sunhigh I'd hunted with Owlface and then ran to the ShadowClan border. I'd been so busy that day to even stop. So while we walked to our meeting with the other medicine cats, I found myself a mouse. Now we were late, and they had left without us.

"I doesn't matter if they missed us," Jayfeather meowed and turned upstream. "We'll see them up there."

I followed him, stepping over the grass. To the left the forest started, undergrowth scattered around the trunks. Where we walked was treeless, the start to the WindClan moor. We walked up the slope, the water bubbling beside us. The moon started to set and the stars glowed bright above us. It was peaceful. I should have been content, but I felt different inside. I felt as if everyone was against me. Bramblestar had chosen to believe Owlface over me. And it hurt.

I wasn't aware when we crossed over the rocky dip. Suddenly my paws felt cold, the pads crushed under the hardness. I looked around, hearing the small waterfall pouring into the Moonpool. Looking down I could see the others already sleeping. I hurried after my mentor and he lay down, licking water from the pool.

"Please talk to me StarClan," I meowed before taking a sip. The water was thick and cold against my tongue. I closed my eyes and curled up on the rocky ground. It wasn't long before I dreamed.


	4. Chapter 2: Lakefrost

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter  
Disclaimer 2: I do not own the song_

_You're probably all wondering why the last book was so short. Well this one is going to be just as short. Think of the three as one big book I broke into parts. My others were long and I decided to make this easier to read (in my opinion)._

Lift your eyes and see the glory.  
Where the circle of life is drawn;  
See the never-ending story,  
Come with me to the Gates of Dawn.  
-Gates of Dawn by Secret Garden

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The sky above turned golden orange. Lakefrost could see it through the needles in the trees. He knew nightfall was coming. He sighed and shifted, bringing his attention back to camp. As the sun set, a few cats returned to the clearing for the night while others started out to hunt. ShadowClan was in constant motion. Normally night hunters, they used the warmth of greenleaf to catch prey and walk around in their territory. Lakefrost wished he could leave the camp as well. Instead he was stuck in the clearing as punishment.

_A punishment I don't deserve_, he thought with narrowed eyes. Anger burned in his chest and he found it hard not to just yowl out to the sky. No one understood. He'd done it to help Fawnfur and her Clan, but they didn't believe him, convinced he was meeting with her just to be her mate.

And it was Ashpaw who'd given him away. Lakefrost could see the smoky gray apprentice walking into camp with his mentor Brownfeather. Once Lakefrost had regretted slapping the apprentice around, but if he got his paws on Ashpaw again, the tom was going to pay. He'd just messed everything up.

Last quarter moon Lakefrost had finally gotten the opportunity to meet with Fawnfur. He got to tell her that he and his siblings were supposed to help her. They'd received prophesies from StarClan warriors themselves, but Lakefrost was the only one willing to help the ThunderClan medicine cat. And he was the only one being punished.

"Are you finished cleaning the elder's den?" Ivytail asked.

Lakefrost glanced over at the other warrior and nodded. He found it hard to still be required to clean out all the dens. And he was made to do it every day. That freed up the apprentice for hunting and battle training. That was part of his first punishment. The second one, after meeting with Fawnfur only a quarter moon ago, was worse.

"Then find a warrior and go hunting," Ivytail told him.

He nodded again and rose. His tail hung low as he left her. Whenever he wanted to leave camp, he had to find a warrior to escort him. All in an effort to make sure he wasn't trying to go back over the border. He wasn't allowed to go to the next three Gatherings either. And to top it off, he had to sleep in the apprentice den with Ashpaw. The apprentice didn't seem to realize he'd done wrong. He wasn't guilty or proud of telling on Lakefrost. He acted like everything was normal. Lakefrost knew if he could get the apprentice alone just once, no one would see him again.

He snorted as he approached a group of warriors near the fresh-kill pile. Who would have thought he'd be so bloodthirsty? It was this prophecy business. It made him angry and frustrated. He couldn't do anything about it and it made him want to lash out.

"Would you go hunting with me?" he asked Knotfur.

The she-cat with the long, tangled black fur looked over at him. She blinked her yellow eyes and him and fixed him with an angry stare.

Lakefrost swallowed. Out of all the cats he'd hoped she'd agree to take him. But she was the angriest at what he did. It was with her Lakefrost had crossed the border to see Fawnfur. She'd asked him to go hunting with her, but he'd taken the chance to leave. Now Knotfur thought he had some mate in another Clan. She'd loved him, he knew, but now she hated him.

"Go with your mentor," she growled at him and turned away. She didn't even take her sparrow with her.

Lakefrost looked down and didn't watch her leave. The anger had gone, replaced with complete sadness. He could feel the eyes of the other warriors on him. They were probably hoping he wouldn't ask them. They probably felt pity for him. Or else they believed he deserved everything that happened. So many warriors didn't even want to be with him, talk with him, or hunt with him. He was an outcast in his own Clan.

"We'll go with you."

Lakefrost's ears went back as he faced his sister. The anger came rushing back, filling his ears like a buzzing bee.

"I don't want to go with you," he growled and turned his back on her. He looked at the other warriors, wondering who to approach. They'd all started walking away, to get far from him as possible but still be in camp.

Mallowstalk flicked her ears and glanced around. Even Badgerface and Honeybee seemed annoyed.

"You'll want to come," Mallowstalk insisted. "We have a lot to talk about."

"You have nothing to say that I want to hear," Lakefrost spat. It was her fault he was in this mess. She hadn't wanted to help him the first time and the others had agreed with her. So they'd tried to prevent him from speaking with Fawnfur. And gotten him in trouble with ThunderClan and Fallingstar. He wanted nothing to do with them now. It was going to be their fault when ThunderClan was wiped from the forest.

"Really, you do," Mallowstalk growled back. Her voice lowered to little more than a whisper. "We spoke to Fawnfur."

He faced her. His ears rose high. Looking at her then his siblings, he started to believe she was telling the truth.

"Let's go." Mallowstalk jerked her head to the camp entrance.

Lakefrost reluctantly went with them. At least no one called them back. Going with his siblings meant he was hunting with warriors.

They got far from camp and when Lakefrost felt sure no other cats would likely be near, he confronted his ginger sister.

"Did you really speak with Fawnfur?"

She nodded her head. "We spoke just this sunhigh. And we agreed to help her."

He blinked. Really? He continued to stare and she continued to frown. Finally he looked over at Badgerface and Mallowstalk.

"You mean it?"

They both nodded.

"What convinced you?" he asked slowly.

"She did," Honeybee sighed.

"What did she say? How did she manage?" He'd thought they were so against it.

"It doesn't matter what," Mallowstalk snapped. "Just accept we'll be helping."

"She told us to get over our fears basically," Honeybee meowed. "Act like it was our Clan instead of someone else's about to be destroyed. She told Mallowstalk that even if she was scared everyone thought she was a traitor, at least she'd be doing the right thing. And that everyone should accept that instead of getting mad at her or shunning her."

Mallowstalk growled at her sister. "At least she didn't tell me to stop chasing after toms."

The sisters glared at each other. For a moment Lakefrost was afraid they'd start fighting. He'd never seen them so angry with each other before. Mallowstalk must not have been happy that she was helping. Or that someone realized she was scared of being a traitor. He hadn't even realized she was scared of that.

"Badgerface was the first one to decide though," Mallowstalk meowed after a few more glances at Honeybee.

"Really?" Lakefrost wondered what Badgerface had overcome. He hadn't thought his brother was scared of anything. Maybe that's why it had been easy for Fawnfur to convince him.

They all looked at the dark brown warrior but he seemed not to be paying attention. He was starting at them, but almost through them like they weren't there. Lakefrost blinked and quickly looked away. That was strange. It was like his brother wasn't really there or hadn't heard them.

"So you're going to help now?" he confirmed.

Mallowstalk nodded. "We didn't have much time to talk so we're meeting tomorrow night at sunset."

"Someone in her Clan was spying on us," Honeybee meowed. "She had to run off. I don't know if she'll make it."

"She'll make it," Mallowstalk meowed. "If it's that important her Clan doesn't die, she'll meet us."

"Definitely," Lakefrost nodded. He worried about the cat who'd seen them. It would make trouble for Fawnfur. And for them if he or she reported it to Fallingstar.

"I want to thank you," Lakefrost meowed.

Now Mallowstalk pulled away and stared at him.

"You might not think being thought of as a traitor isn't so bad anymore," he meowed quietly, "But it is. I can tell you. So I'm glad you're willing to face it to help me."

"Not just you, mouse-brain," Mallowstalk meowed back. "ThunderClan."

He smiled. He knew she could care less about the other Clan. So she had to be doing it for him. He grinned at her and after a short time, she smiled back.

Honeybee nudged her head into his own and he nudged back. Mallowstalk got closer and he brushed his tail down her side. Even Badgerface got closer to share their joy.

Lakefrost purred. He was glad now. They wouldn't be working against each other anymore. They would help him now. He had to be happy about that.

-_**Line-  
**_  
The sun started to set, quickly sinking in the sky. An orange red color settled on the lake, quickly fading away to a dark purple as white specks glimmered in the sky.

"I can't believe I'm doing this again," Lakefrost meowed. He hunched under the bushes, hiding to make sure no one passing by could see him. His pelt reeked of garlic and toadstools, anything to prevent his real scent from coming through and latching onto ground or leaves.

Honeybee grinned at him. "At least you're with us. We'll come up with something if anyone else shows up."

"I don't mean that," he meowed. Now he was suddenly worried about another cat catching them. Not only was there sunset border patrols, but ShadowClan was notorious for night hunting. They might be spotted by one of their own if they weren't careful. "I was thinking how gross it would be to lick this all off later."

Honeybee's smiled faded as a disgusted look crossed her face. "Ewww. Why don't you just leave it on?"

"The last time I left it on was when Ashpaw saw me. I tried to chase him down but he was already at camp," Lakefrost reminded her. "Fallingstar could smell it. If I came back like this, she would know I was up to something."

"I hadn't thought of that," Honeybee agreed, looking worried.

"If you're done chittering like squirrels, I think I can see her coming," Mallowstalk growled from the other side of the bush.

Lakefrost lifted his head and peered out from the leaves and branches. Badgerface appeared to be stalking something in the trees, acting like he was hunting for anyone happening to walk by. Mallowstalk stood out, watching the ThunderClan border. She sat on the lakeside, peering out over the water and then back to the trees. Lakefrost stared to the ThunderClan side and thought he could see some movement through the undergrowth.

A ginger-brown tabby she-cat poked her head out and then cautiously stepped down the bank to the water's edge. There she leaned down and got something to drink.

"Here!" Mallowstalk called.

The she-cat raised her head quickly and stared at them. For a moment, Lakefrost was worried they might have the wrong cat, that it was her sister Morningsong they'd called too. The she-cat started walking over. Then she came close enough that he could see the three white spot on her ear. They had the right one. He sighed in relief.

"I feel so open here," she meowed, glancing around.

"That's why I thought no one else would come here," Mallowstalk meowed. "They'd also don't like the feeling. And there isn't much prey."

"Unless you like fish," Honeybee chirped up.

Fawnfur jumped and looked under the bush. Lakefrost and his sister came out. Fawnfur wrinkled her nose at the scent he exuded.

"It's good to see you again," she meowed. He thought he could see her smile.

"And good to see you," he meowed, blinking pleasantly.

"Are you still being punished?" she asked.

He nodded. "They had to sneak me out for a pretend hunt."

"I'm so sorry about that," she meowed.

"It's not your fault," he answered.

"But it is. If I hadn't kept you-"

"No, it's fine." He flicked his tail in finality. He didn't blame her at all. He was surprised she thought he would.

Fawnfur opened her mouth again.

"Enough," Mallowstalk meowed sharply. "We don't have all night. Now let's say what we have to say and get out of here."

Fawnfur blinked and looked a bit cowed by his sister. Lakefrost spared the ginger a glare.

"Badgerface, get over here!" Honeybee called.

Lakefrost turned around. He hadn't even realized his brother wasn't there. The dark brown tabby warrior was always so quiet. It was hard to tell when he was there or not, or if he was even paying attention.

"Badgerface!" Honeybee had to call again.

Abruptly the warrior turned around and faced them. A worried looked creased his brow. Suddenly he saw Fawnfur and his eyes widened in shock as if he hadn't realized she'd even gotten there. Honeybee waved her tail and he came closer. Now Lakefrost looked at Fawnfur, waiting for her.

"We need to go to the Moonpool," she meowed.

"What?"

The four almost spoke instantaneously.

"I went there last night with Jayfeather," she meowed. "I wanted to ask them if they'd clarify what the danger was. StarClan told me that we all needed to go there for a message. They didn't tell me much after that. So we have to go now."

Lakefrost stared over her shoulder. He could see the WindClan moor starting at the other edge of the lake. It would be a long walk there and back. They wouldn't have a lot of time to hunt if they went there. What excuse would they have for the Clan then?

"Do we really have to go there?" Mallowstalk demanded.

"Yes," Fawnfur meowed firmly back. "That's the only place I'm going to get my answers. And they want you there too. We better start."

She was aware how long it would take then. Lakefrost looked at the others. They didn't look happy at all.

"Come on," he encouraged. "The sooner we get this done the sooner we can come back. Then if we know what we're supposed to save ThunderClan from, we can stop it. That way everything will get back to normal."

He looked Mallowstalk in the eyes as he said that.

She sighed but nodded. "Let's move."

They started to walk away, following Fawnfur. Then Lakefrost heard the bushes shaking behind them. Everyone froze, turning to stare. A small shape forced its way from the ShadowClan territory and to the lake edge.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Ashpaw demanded.

Lakefrost blinked. Why was this apprentice everywhere? Did he have some sort of code breaking alarm that alerted him where to be? Just at the wrong moments to ruin everything?

"Ashpaw," Mallowstalk meowed calmly. "Go back to hunting."

Ashpaw tilted and ear and looked at them. His eyes stopped on Fawnfur and widened. They looked at them again and settled on Lakefrost.

"You," the smoky tom whispered.

"Ashpaw," Mallowstalk started to growl. "This doesn't concern you."

"Please just leave us," Honeybee meowed.

"But Fawnfur and Lakefrost," he meowed in confusion.

"I-" Fawnfur started to speak.

"You aren't going to tell me what you're doing, are you?" Ashpaw growled, anger suddenly on his face. "I know you don't trust me. Well I don't care. Fallingstar will make sure I know."

With that he turned around and started running back for the territory.

Lakefrost's eyes widened. They'd never make it to the Moonpool now, and if they did, who knew what would find them on their return.

"We have to get him," he meowed to the others.

"We don't have time," Fawnfur insisted. "The moon isn't going to stay in the sky forever."

They looked at each other. They realized then they had to choose. Moonpool or Ashpaw?


	5. Chapter 3: Sunstorm

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Disclaimer 2: I do not own the song_

_And whose is the hand who raises  
The sun from the heaving sea?_  
_The power that ever amazes  
We look, but never will see?_  
_-Gates of Dawn by Secret Garden_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The water lapped at her back legs. She could feel the gentle, but insistent tugging. It should have felt cold, but instead it was warm, almost soothing. She could hear faint rushing in her ears, felt soft sand under her cheek. Her chest rose and fell evenly. Her throat hurt as air rushed through her nose. Suddenly she coughed.

Jolting up, the she-cat wheezed for breath, conscious flooding her. When she recovered, she looked around. Sand piled around her in dunes. The water still flowed at her legs, pushing in and pulling out. She dragged her body away, getting the sand stuck in her ginger-brown fur. She pulled herself up, sitting and then standing.

She swayed. Her paws ached, her back ached, her head ached. She didn't it was possible to even feel like this. For awhile she stood, hoping the bruises would stop hurting. Her eyesight filled with black and she thought she'd pass out. She quickly sat, letting herself recover. When her golden eyes could see again, she scanned the area.

To the right a large stream flowed into the large body of water. She stared out over it, but couldn't see the end. A large, rolling horizon filled her vision. She wondered if it ever ended. Her eyes narrowed and she realized what it was. A sun-drown-place. A lot larger than the lake, the sun would sink into it every night. Or so she thought.

Sunstorm took her eyes from the water and looked around. Blue spanned overhead, the sun sitting on top of a small cloud halfway up the sky. She thought she could even see the moon on the horizion. It was a bit larger than the half she'd last seen.

Last seen. . . She tried to remember when that was. She could remember pain and white everywhere. A cry of a large bird. Her breath caught. She could see a large shadow coming for her, outlined in golden light. It pushed her from a ledge and down she fell. Her paws ached in remembrance of clinging onto the mountainside. She lifted a paw and looked at the remainder of her claws. They were nothing but stubs now, some cracked and bleeding.

"Where was I?" she asked. Her voice, sore like her body, rang about her without reply.

She sighed, trying to remember more. What was the last thing, other than the giant hawk?

She could remember dying. That wasn't too hard to recall. Her death in a stream, knocked out by a branch and drowned as her body floated to the lake just that newleaf. She'd woken up in StarClan, a cat with star-filled fur. She looked down at herself and could still see them glinting on her body. Most of the time it didn't shine much, unless she wanted it to. It was easier forgotten. Hazeltail said when StarClan visited the Clans by the lake, they couldn't help but glow. She wouldn't know. She hadn't gone back.

"What else do I remember?"

Hazeltail was her mentor for a while, teaching her the legends and duties of StarClan not even the living cats realized. But Sunstorm still didn't know everything. She'd left before her training was complete. She'd left with- the name was on her tongue. Feathertail, that was it. She'd left with Feathertail to see the Tribe of Endless Hunting, another group of dead cats who lived in the sky. They'd made it to the mountains and lived there for a while. Sunstorm could suddenly recall her friends. There was mostly Moss, a gray she-cat who loved to talk. Then there'd been others. A dark ginger tom with an odd name. Star. He'd been looking for his mate Water that Softly Falls, who'd been stolen by the giant hawk.

The memory came back then. All of it. The journey to the mountain peak with four other cats. Looking for the bird and finding the tree where it lived. Having it surprise them. She'd been too near the edge and fell off, falling down the mountainside off of the peak. She'd fallen into water.

"And I must have came down the river to here," she meowed, looking at the stream nearby. She shrugged. At least she couldn't die twice. Ending up here after falling from such a dangerous height proved that. Her eyes widened. So Water and the other cats stolen by the hawk had to be alive somewhere. Star would be glad.

She frowned. He wouldn't know. He didn't even know she was alive.

"What will they tell Feathertail?" she wondered. Then she blinked. The sand wavered in her vision. What if they never got off the mountain? When she'd fallen they'd still been battling the hawk. She didn't know if they'd won or been tossed off into the unknown. She wasn't sure if they could even beat the hawk. They must be able to. The Tribe killed hawks all the time for food. This one wouldn't be any different. She hoped.

Sunstorm stood, not wanting to sit in the sand any longer. She had to know what happened to Moss and the others. She had to find them again. She started walking. The sand dug into her sore pads and claws. She started limping along, heading away from the water and up the slope. She reached the top and looked out on a strip of flat land. She looked left and then right. Wherever her eyes went, she could only see sand. A few thin stems of grass poked out in clumps, one lonely flower hung down, drooping to the grains below.

She looked around again, this time spotting something along the shoreline. Long, dark shadows rose from the ground, spread out as if a forest. She started over, limping all the way across the warm sand. She left a trail behind her. She didn't mind. If she could see one cat in this strange place, she'd be happy. She could ask for directions then.

She neared the dark shadows and suddenly realized they were trees. Trees with black bark and gray leaves. She paused and stared. Disgust filled her. What sort of place was this? The trees weren't proper. There probably wasn't even prey anywhere. She looked at the bottom of the dark trunks. She couldn't see any undergrowth. Not even a weed or grass. There weren't any bushes or toadstools, no flowers, not even sapling pushed their way up from the fine sand.

She glanced away from the black forest. She searched the horizon, hoping for any other forest. Something green. She squinted and thought she could see something on the horizon. Another shadow. It was too far to walk that day. Night would fall soon. Her paws ached and when she looked down, she thought she could see blood leaking from her pads. That fall from the cliff hadn't been good for her. She sighed and decided she'd have to spend the night in this dark place. She started forward.

The gray leaves rustled overhead as if sensing her. She walked beneath the shadows. Beams of light cut through the leaves, pooling on the ground, making the white quartz in the brown sand shine. Her ears twitched at the sound above her. She was hoping for something more. Like the squeak of a mouse of a call of a bird. She didn't know the last time she'd eaten. She didn't know how many days had passed since she fell. She didn't feel hungry anymore, but she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to sink her teeth in a nice warm blooded, fleshy mouse. Suddenly thinking about it made her mouth fill with water.

"Get off of me!"

Sunstorm's head lifted as she caught the faint cry. Had she actually heard that? She continued to walk, this time paying attention, trying to hear the voice.

"I hate you! Get off of me! I don't want anything to do with you!" The last ending in a rage filled screech. Sunstorm neared the sounds and as she went she thought she could hear someone being thrown to the ground. The thud was loud. So near she knew she was almost on top of whoever was arguing.

She spotted moving shapes behind the black tree trunks. Flashes of color in the gloom. Her heartbeat picked up.

"Leave me alone, I tell you!" It was obviously a she-cat.

"Hawthorn, please just listen." A tom's low rumble replied. No wonder she hadn't heard it before. It didn't really carry through the air.

"I told you to stop bothering me. This is the last time!"

"It will never be the last," he growled at her.

Sunstorm got closer, her body low to the ground, ignoring her aches now as she came upon them.

A yellow-ginger tom with brown stripes stood before a white she-cat with a black belly. She crouched before him, her tail puffed out with fear or anger. He stood with his claws out, a snarl on his face. Sunstorm could make out a faint ring of white around one of his eyes. Suddenly he leapt, landing on top of the white she-cat. She yowled, struggling under him, trying to flip over so she could kick her back legs into his belly.

Unable to keep watching this, Sunstorm rushed forward, ignoring the pain in her paws. She lowered her head, and hit the tom with the side of her shoulder. He fell back. The white she-cat pushed herself out from under him and readily dove behind Sunstorm. There she cowered, peering over the ginger-brown she-cats shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Sunstorm spat at the tom.

He stared at her for a short time, glancing back at the white she-cat behind her. Sunstorm kept her eyes on him and when he turned back to her, she got to see his eyes. They were different colors. One blue, the other green. The one with the white circle around it seemed smaller.

"Well?" she spat. She tried to flex her claws, but then she felt pain shoot through her. She winced and remembered how wounded she really was. Why had she decided to pick a fight she probably wouldn't win?


	6. Chapter 4: Fawnfur

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my only reviewers: _Chat et Chocolate_ and _Nature Girl 27

_I had hours waiting between classes so I wrote this just for you!_

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**Chapter 4**

"We have to stop him," Lakefrost meowed again.

"But we have to get to the Moonpool before the moon sets," I insisted. I knew he was having some problems with that apprentice constantly telling Fallingstar what he was up to, but we needed that message from StarClan. I had to think of my Clan first. I looked over my shoulder.

The lake shone brightly in the half moon, silver waves washing up to shore. The orb was slowly sinking in the sky, passed moonhigh. On the other side of the ThunderClan territory the moor started, a silver ribbon curved its way across the grassland and into the lake. We had to follow that up to the Moonpool. I'd been there just last night and Starclan told me to retrieve the four so we could all talk. It was important. I didn't know if they'd ever talk to me again.

"The next worse thing Fallingstar can do is exile us," Lakefrost meowed. "We wouldn't be a help to any Clan then."

"It might waste time, but we have to get him," Mallowstalk meowed, agreeing with her brother.

I sighed and looked at them. They seemed so determined.

"Spilt up?" I started to meow.

But Mallowstalk had turned around as if I weren't there. She ran for the ShadowClan forest, leaving me there with her siblings. Lakefrost didn't waste time in following her and a heartbeat later I and the other two were after them.

Looking ahead I saw Mallowstalk's ginger pelt disappearing into the pines. She was faster than I'd supposed. Lakefrost entered next and then I was swept up into the darkened forest. I blinked in surprise as I followed the ShadowClan cats. I was in their territory now. Never had I crossed a border like this. I was really trespassing. A chill went through me, but at the same time I felt insanely happy I was doing something different. It must have been hysteria. If we failed to catch Ashpaw, I was in big trouble. Almost as big as my friends. If we just left him and headed for the Moonpool, I might have the knowledge to save my Clan, but never get the opportunity.

So I raced after in a territory not my own. We were unhampered by undergrowth, our trail wide open. Now I could see why Mallowstalk had learned to be fast. She wasn't tripping on plants when she hunted. Of course a WindClan cat would have beaten her, but an apprentice couldn't.

I spotted her ginger pelt flashing between the tree trunks. I just followed Badgerface and Honeybee, not sure where I was in their territory. I couldn't get separated from them or I would be lost. We caught up to Mallowstalk. I almost didn't see Ashpaw in the darkness. His smoky gray pelt blended well in the darkness. Even Lakefrost was somewhere. His gray tabby pelt hid in the shadows near the roots of a rowan.

I came to a stop and panted. I hadn't had to run like that since I was an apprentice. All of that training and hunting. I realized I wasn't as used to it anymore since I'd become a medicine cat apprentice. Maybe I should start practicing again, I thought to myself. I didn't know if I'd be needed in an emergency.

Mallowstalk stood in front of Ashpaw. She had one paw out as if she'd grabbed him in mid-run. I could see some blood dripping down his back leg. It wasn't much, but I suddenly wanted to treat him. He was just an apprentice after all; she didn't have to use her claws on him. Unless when she called, he wouldn't stop.

"You can't tell Fallingstar about this," Mallowstalk meowed.

"Why not?" he challenged. "You aren't supposed to be doing it anyway."

"Sometimes you should just mind your own business," Lakefrost snarled.

I stared at him. I'd never seen him so angry before. Then again, I hadn't known him long and just seen him in the background on a few occasions. I really didn't know these cats at all, and yet I trusted them. It was so odd.

"If I see you, then it is my business," the apprentice growled back. "I don't know what you're doing. I want to know because everyone keeps leaving me out of things. I have to tell Fallingstar. You won't tell me what you're doing, so she will make sure you tell me."

"Then you'll get us into bigger trouble," Lakefrost growled.

"Well you're breaking the rules," Ashpaw meowed back. "You aren't even supposed to be over here."

"Come on," I meowed suddenly. "We don't have time for this. We have to go."

I was aware how much time was passing as we spoke with the apprentice. It was as if he was here just to waste our time, to make sure we wouldn't get time to talk with StarClan.

"Ashpaw," Mallowstalk turned to him. "You have to promise not to tell anyone about us. You can't say you saw Lakefrost here. If you do promise, well tell you what we've done later."

I stared at her. Would she really?

"How much later?" Ashpaw questioned slowly.

No one answered him.

"Then take me with you," he meowed. "Else I'm going back right now and waking her up."

"No," I yelled.

Everyone stared at me. "You can't come and you can't tell Fallingstar."

"You know as well as I do that if he comes it will save time," Mallowstalk meowed. "I have no idea why he's wandering out here alone, and if we have to escort him back to camp, it will waste time. He has to come. We'll make it to the Moonpool with him before moonset."

She looked me in the eye and I knew she was right. It was better to take him with us and keep an eye on him then let him wander around and potentially tell Fallingstar. He would come. But I still didn't like it.

I sighed and nodded.

Lakefrost grumbled something about how we should just throw him in the lake or bury him up to his head in sand. I glanced at him. He really must have hated the apprentice. Lakefrost took the lead, walking through the pines ahead of us to guide us back to the lake. All the time Honeybee and Badgerface said nothing. Mallowstalk walked next to Ashpaw, making sure the apprentice didn't run away. We walked, but I wanted to hurry.

"Can we go faster?" I meowed.

Lakefrost nodded and started a loping run. We all quickly followed. Only Ashpaw and his shorter legs had a harder time keeping up. We left the forest and started running by the lakeside. The sand was cool underpaw and some of the smooth rocks shifted. When we got to the WindClan border, I was breathing heavily. My legs ached. The others probably felt it too. I glanced at them. They stumbled and panted. Luckily when we got to the uphill slope by the stream, Lakefrost stopped running.

We all took a drink and took some time to rest. I glanced upstream. No one probably wanted to run that. Then I looked at the sky. The moon was still slowly sloping downward and I knew we didn't have much time.

"Why are we going to the Moonpool?" Ashpaw meowed between deep breaths.

"What do you usually do at the Moonpool?" Lakefrost meowed sarcastically.

"Meet StarClan?" His blue eyes widened and Ashpaw stared at us all. "Why are you going to see them?"

No one answered. I didn't want to. After having Bramblestar not listen to me, or believe me I couldn't bare explaining. It wouldn't make sense. I couldn't tell others about the enemy no one knew. Only the four ShadowClan warriors believed me. Ashpaw would think we were silly or delusional. Or lying to hide the truth from him. It would just get him angry and tell our leaders.

"Why doesn't anybody ever tell me the truth?" Ashpaw wailed. "If you don't tell me now, I'm leaving!"

Now I glared at him. Everyone else did the same, but despite that, the apprentice glared defiantly back.

"I'll tell Fallingstar you let Fawnfur on our territory," he meowed, staring at Mallowstalk.

"I hate this apprentice," she muttered. Then she glanced at me.

I shrugged and then we both looked at Lakefrost.

"What?" he meowed.

"Should we?" I asked.

"He doesn't deserve to know anything," Lakefrost growled, not even looking at the smoky tom. "He's been causing trouble for us this whole moon."

"He'll just cause more if he goes back now," Honeybee meowed quietly. "We should tell him. Then . . . Well, I'd like for someone than just us to believe us. Out of the whole forest we're the only ones. What if we were to die suddenly?"

I blinked and stared at the golden she-cat. Was she serious? I really hoped I wouldn't die, but I was part of the Clan destined to be destroyed. I glanced at Ashpaw. But what was an apprentice supposed to do that we five warriors couldn't?

"Fine," Lakefrost spat. "Ashpaw, move it. We'll tell you on the way."

I started to lead the way up the mountain. I felt glad we weren't going to waste anymore time. Of course I was worried about Ashpaw, and what he'd do with the information or if he'd even believe us, but as long as we spoke to StarClan we could deal with him later. I listened with one ear as Honeybee started telling Ashpaw about the visit from StarClan. For the first time I got to hear the prophecy they'd been given.

"You must look for the young deer. Only the four and the fawn can stop the evening and the morning from stilling the thunder forever."

I mulled it over. It seemed very straight forward. I was the 'young dear', the fawn. No wonder Lakefrost knew to come to me. He and his siblings were 'the four'. And the stilled thunder was ThunderClan being destroyed. Of course I wasn't sure what the evening and morning referred to as. Were they names or where they an event or time? It was so annoying how prophecies couldn't just be explained and said what they really meant. That you figured it out afterward. I wondered if StarClan even knew what they meant when they gave them to us.

Ashpaw remained silent through it all. I watched his eyes widen when I glanced back. I hoped he believed us. Or maybe he thought it was some fantastic tale, something Honeybee came up at the moment. I mean, who really thought StarClan visited warriors for fun? Of course I could remember many times and stories that they had. They used to always visit particular cats. And now they'd stopped visiting everyone.

"Fawnfur also was visited," Honeybee meowed when she was done. I realized I'd stopped listening to her until she called my name. I wondered how much she'd told him. About coming into ThunderClan twice, how I'd gotten them to help me, or why we were going up to the Moonpool?

"Yes," I quickly meowed, glancing over. "Firestar visited me during the last Gathering. I stayed in camp and that night while everyone else slept, he came. He told me my Clan was in danger of being destroyed and that I had to stop it. He said I'd have the help of four warriors and I had to stop someone that was close to me."

They all listened intently. I realized I'd never explained it to them before. As I spoke, I suddenly remembered more that my former leader had told me. I might have lived it twice, once when I Saw back into the past, but I always forget details. I'm only a cat after all and have a typical memory, perhaps less so because I've relied on looking back too often and didn't care to memorize. But something seemed familiar. As if I'd forgotten one important thing. Something that might have had Bramblestar on my side if I'd told him that morning. Something about a forest. . . .

"Who was it?" Ashpaw meowed.

"What?" I meowed. The thought slipped away from me.

"Who is close to you that you have to stop?"

"I have no idea," I shook my head. "I still don't know. It could be anyone in my Clan. Or even you by now. But anyway, I started gathering herbs because I thought we might need them if we were in a fight. So that was how I met you and Brownfeather and Lakefrost by the twoleg nest that one day."

Ashpaw blinked and looked upward as if remembering the time they'd all helped me carry herbs back to my camp. I'd vowed then I'd never accept help from ShadowClan again, but it looked like I needed it now.

"Then just last night at the medicine cat's gathering, StarClan told me we all needed to be there so they could tell us what we are supposed to help ThunderClan escape from."

"Oh," he meowed.

We didn't get to speak anymore because just then we topped the rise. Down below in a small, rocky dip, was the Moonpool. Surrounded by rock sides indented with cat paws, the pool rippled with the pouring water. We quickly walked down.

"Now take a sip and close your eyes," I told them. I wasn't sure if they'd been here before. Or if they'd even spoken to StarClan this way. As far as I knew only medicine cats and leaders were allowed to do so. A warrior might visit as an escort, but nothing more.

I followed my own instructions and hastily lay down. I didn't even watch to see if they complied. I'd brought them, now StarClan had to speak with me.

As my eyes closed, I suddenly felt the need to open them again. As I did, I found myself surrounded by cats. There was Bluestar, Spottedleaf, Yellowfang, Leopardstar, Tallstar, and all the other great leaders I'd heard talked about before. Until yesterday I hadn't ever spoken to them, only to Firestar. I felt proud and awed in their presence.

We still sat in the basin. The Moonpool rippled in front of us. Nothing seemed changed. But there were a lot of cats here with us. More than I could count. And they all sat there, watching me.

"Why did you bring him?" spat a brindled tom.

I looked around and saw that the angry gaze settled on Ashpaw. The apprentice looked around. His eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open as he stared at all the cats. StarClan started to glare at the young tom as more cats saw him. Ashpaw slowly noticed and his ears went back in fright.

"We don't need more cats involved," the brindled tom spat. "You're ruining the balance!"

I tilted my head. The balance?

"Peace, Harestar," Firestar spoke. I noticed the ginger tom now. He sat in the rows of other cats. Spottedleaf by his side. I wondered where Sandstorm was. Then I realized, I didn't think there were any apprentices, kits, or warriors there. This was a gathering of medicine cats and leaders only. "They didn't know."

"But Harestar is right," Bluestar spoke up. "They shouldn't have brought him. It will hurt us even more."

"What's done is done," Yellowfang meowed, her voice scratchy. "We don't have much time."

"Yes, please," I meowed. "Tell us what the danger is."

"You must learn first, young ones," Tallstar meowed. "There is more in the stars than you realize."

"It is not right that they learn," Harestar spat. "They haven't died yet. It is not their time to learn."

"It is necessary," Tallstar meowed. "We caused the problems with keeping secrets like these. For now, this once, they must learn, so they can save our Clans. Without them, we will cease to be."

I swallowed and stared at them with wide eyes. I hadn't realized that.

"Then tell us," Mallowstalk meowed. "It's not like we have all night. Our Clans will miss us."

"For once, this runs deeper than just your Clans," Littlecloud meowed. I looked over and spotted the former ShadowClan medicine cat. "They will have to forgive you for this late outing. It will save them in the end."

"Will we be able to tell them finally?" I asked. "I can't keep this a secret. Bramblestar already doesn't trust me. Couldn't you help?"

"We can do nothing," Harestar growled. "We are cut off from you."

I stared, my eyes growing wider than I thought they could.

"It is by choice," Rowanstar meowed. The ginger tom was ShadowClan's leader before Fallingstar. He had a short period. Before him was Kinkstar, and before her was Blackstar. I couldn't quite see them in the crowd, but they must have been there, hiding behind all the other colored cats.

"We had to stop talking to you," Firestar meowed. "It seems StarClan has been lax with when and where they speak with cats. Even who. Warriors are not meant to see us unless they come to Moonpool to visit. It has to be for important things."

"The dead must stay dead and the living must live and not worry for the dead," Yellowfang meowed. "We were only meant to guide. But now we seemed to be controlling you. Staying leaders even in death."

"It was because of us, the Dark Forest gained power," Tallstar continued. "They once were meant to stay there, not knowing what went on in the world. It was a punishment. Now somehow they've contacted the living. Guided them, taught them, and controlled them."

"We realized it was because we'd messed up the balance," Littlecloud meowed. "Now we must restore it. We cannot meet with anyone outside of the Moonpool, give dreams, or omens for the time being. Until this passes, the Clans are on their own."

I gasped. "No, you can't just leave us. We need you! What are we supposed to do without you?"

"We have helped," Harestar growled. "We warned you, didn't we? I was against it, but they felt they had to speak to someone."

"We couldn't just let them drift without knowing why we refused to talk," Leopardstar glared at him.

"What is the Dark Forest?" Lakefrost meowed. He had an odd frown on his face.

I blinked. That was it. The Dark Forest. Firestar had told me to watch out from them that night he came to warn me. The Dark Forest wanted to destroy ThunderClan. I could vaguely remember hearing about it from Jayfeather, but I knew not every cat knew about this mysterious place. But something didn't sound right. How were dead cats supposed to destroy my Clan, I wondered.

"The cats who died go there," Rowanstar meowed slowly and hesitantly.

"But I thought everyone came here," Honeybee meowed.

"Not everyone can," the former ShadowClan leader continued. "These are the cats who are evil. They didn't follow our code. They were of complete mind and decisions. No disease, delusion, or being lied to made them turn against us or their Clans. They knew the code and chose not to follow it. They killed. They maimed and took control, all in the ambition of power. You know the cats there. Tigerstar. Brokentail."

"The cats from the stories," Ashpaw whispered.

"You can usually figure it out," Yellowfang rasped. "But until now, these cats walked alone. Tigerstar is gathering them. He is building an army. There will be war."

"The Dark Forest is rising," Bluestar meowed. "And now Tigerstar had followers in the Clans as well."

"We need you to stop them," Firestar continued with a nod. "You are to find these cats and stop them. Convince them what they are doing is wrong and that it will hurt the Clans. Whatever the Dark Forest has promised them are all lies."

"Could you tell us who these cats are?" Lakefrost meowed.

StarClan was silent. I could see them sharing glances. Finally Harestar spoke out.

"We do not know."

I blinked. They didn't know? How was that possible, they were StarClan, they knew everything.

"We have our suspicions," Littlecloud meowed. "But the Dark Forest has blocked our sight from them. They are keeping their contacts a secret. But we know they have one in every Clan. They'll want confusion the night they attack."

"They are going to attack?" I meowed. "How?"

"They will come into the world of the living on the Dark Night," Firestar meowed. "The night of the full moon, when it is supposed to be the brightest, StarClan will be at its weakest, the moon suddenly gone. We will try to stop most of them from coming through, but many will. And you will be killed. Tigerstar is going to target ThunderClan at the Gathering, but he needs all of the Clans in turmoil so they will be unable to help. That is why we need you Fawnfur to find the one in your Clan who is his follower. The other four," he nodded to the ShadowClan cats with me, ignoring Ashpaw, "Are to help in the other Clans. They must each find whoever it is and stop them."

"With us not speaking with the Clans," Tallstar meowed, "We may be able to cut off the Dark Forest's power. We aren't sure what they are using, but once the balance is restored, they cannot communicate with the Clans. We hope it will cease by the full moon."

"So can we tell our leaders about this?" Lakefrost meowed.

Once again our ancestors grew silent. I realized they were trying to decide what to tell us and what not to. So much about learning and preparing us. They still wanted to keep their secrets.

"You may, to get their help," Rowanstar meowed slowly. "But we'd prefer this to be a secret. The Clans cannot know about the Dark Forest. Knowing about them gives them power as well. If these cats or their place is remembered, they will grow strong like us by worship and remembrance of them. Their spirits must fade, which is why we don't let the general knowledge of them among the Clans."

I blinked. I hadn't realized. No wonder they didn't tell anyone. I wondered how Jayfeather had come to learn about these evil dead cats.

"So can I tell my leader?" I meowed.

The silence became more uneasy and I wondered if I'd asked the wrong question.

"Do what you must," the cats suddenly spoke with one voice. I noticed them start to fade. "You have until the Gathering. Just a quarter moon."

Then they were gone from my sight.

And I woke up.

My head rose and I opened my eyes. I was still by the pool, but the stars now seemed less clear. I looked around, but I realized the moon had set. They couldn't speak with us any longer.

I stood up and faced the ShadowClan cats. They seemed just as confused and concerned as I did. I didn't know what we were supposed to do now. I thought they'd tell us. Instead we only had warnings.

"We better get back," Mallowstalk meowed in the silence. She seemed subdued. As if meeting StarClan had taken something out of her. Maybe she wouldn't be so against me now.

"But what are we supposed to do?" Honeybee meowed. "We only have a quarter moon until the Gathering!"

"Hush," Lakefrost meowed. "We know. And we have to find some cats no one even knows."

"At least we know there's one in every Clan," Badgerface meowed slowly.

Until that time, I hadn't realized the dark brown tabby tom hadn't spoken all night. I was almost surprised to hear his voice and to remember he was there.

"Then we'll have to find them," I meowed.

"But how?" Mallowstalk demanded. "We're in ShadowClan. If they wanted to help, they would have contacted one cat in every Clan."

"But if everyone was in a different Clan, then it would have been harder for everyone to find each other and talk," Ashpaw meowed. "This way we can all meet a lot easier."

"As if it's been easy," Lakefrost glared at the apprentice.

"Sorry," the other tom squeaked. I thought I saw his ears turn red.

"Well we have to get started," I meowed. "I will try to find someone in my Clan with the most reasons to work against StarClan and for the Dark Forest."

"At least it's in your Clan," Mallowstalk growled. "We have to look outside ours! What will Fallingstar think then?"

"Are you going to tell her?" I meowed.

"Will you tell Bramblestar?" the ginger she-cat challenged.

I looked down. I was seriously considering it. It would make it easier for me. Maybe he wouldn't believe Owlface so avidly. Yes Bramblestar knew Owlface had been padding after me, but at least the silver tom had been truthful about it when he told my leader what he'd seen. Bramblestar would probably not believe Owlface if the warrior had tried to lie about it. With that truth, Owlface had gotten Bramblestar to believe the lies.

I blinked. Maybe it was Owlface the Dark Forest was using. He was against me now and I was the one with the prophecy. Perhaps they'd been using him as a distraction. Perhaps I already had it figured out. But if that was so, I'd have to talk with that annoying tom again. I sighed. Life seemed to hate me.

"We need to get back," Honeybee meowed. "Sunrise will come soon."

"What do we tell our leaders or Clans now?" Lakefrost meowed.

"Don't worry," Ashpaw replied cheerfully. "I'll tell Fallingstar I ran out of camp last night and you guys had to find me. Say I was being difficult."

"So nice of you to take the fall," Lakefrost muttered, rolling his eyes. "I wonder if she'll believe us."

"We have the whole trip back to figure out a better story," Mallowstalk meowed. "Now get going!"

We started walking. I realized I too needed a story for my Clan. Yet I still wanted to tell Brambelstar the truth. I knew I would. He just had to believe me. Then I'd have some help in my Clan. Other than Jayfeather, it seemed everyone was against me. If Bramblestar started supporting me, they would all have to see what a foxhearted liar Owlface was. I knew I would tell my leader the truth. He needed to know. And I needed my Clan to trust me as a medicine cat again

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**Is StarClan telling the whole truth? Can they do this all in a quarter moon? Read more to find out!**

**Note: Harestar is a random WindClan leader.**

**Hey, vote on my profile for who you think has the best warrior name .**


	7. Chapter 5: Honeybee

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my only two reviewers: _Nature Girl 27 _and _Chat et Chocolate

_I won't have much time to write as I'd hoped, but you might get one chapter a week. Enjoy. This will be by a new cat, perhaps you'll like her._

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**Chapter 5**

Honeybee dreamed. She knew it was a dream. She could feel the slight detachment she had in every dream; the one where if things happened she didn't mind, the one where she could fly like the birds, or even the one where she and Orangestripe were just walking, had nowhere to go, didn't have any reason to hurry, but just walked, side by side. This was the same, one of those. She walked through a field of tall grass, a lone pine tree on a distant hill. She had to get to the tree to meet someone. She didn't know who, but this cat was going to tell her some secret.

"We'll be able to defeat RiverClan with this!" Lakefrost meowed by her side, prancing along, somehow taller than her. He strode through the grass as if it were barely there. She had to struggle to keep up, almost blinded as the stalks leaned back to hit her in the face.

"Why? I didn't think we were at war with them," she meowed.

"Don't you remember?" Suddenly it was her speaking, but she was a different cat now, looking at her own body, a small she-cat walking through the grass.

"They stole Fallingstar from us just yesterday; we have to get her back."

The small cat that looked like her, that was her, but wasn't all the same- because she was in the tall cat now who used to look like Lakefrost- nodded.

And then the dream changed again. Suddenly the tall grass shortened into green blades interspersed with hard dirt. Thistles poked their way through, sharp like a cat's claw. The small cat disappeared and so did the hill with the pine tree.

Honeybee blinked glancing around. She stood in the center of a clearing. All around her a dark forest full of pines, spruces, hickories, oaks, elms, all kinds of trees, circled her, boxing her in. The trunks stood tall and straight, hard to climb, and undergrowth filled the ground beneath, covering the roots, clinging to the trees as if trying to choke the life out of them. Harsh smoke wreathed the tree trunks, curling about them, moving slowly. The tang reached the golden she-cat and she coughed, disgusted by the taste. Was there a fire burning somewhere?

Suddenly she could tell she wasn't in a dream anymore. She could feel and she was worried. Her mind was not reacting slowly and she was confused, not like in dreams where even though she asked a question she already knew the answer. She didn't know the answers here. She didn't know where she was.

She quickly glanced skyward. There was nothing there. She blinked, staring at the eternal black. It seemed to go on forever, but at the same time loomed so close to her, she felt she were trapped. She knew that if she were to go under the trees she wouldn't even see this black sky. Her ears flicked as her eyes widened. Where were the stars? Where was the moon? She curled her tail around her body and huddled, sitting next to her thistle bush, watching the spikes, somehow convinced they were reaching for her. The ground felt hard and ungiving, the grass blades dry as if during a drought.

She stared around, wondering how she was supposed to get out of this place. Wondering if there were any other cats. She listened, turning her ears, searching for any sound of movement, but even the undergrowth was silent. It should have been teaming with prey, hiding and searching for food, but there was nothing. She could feel the wrongness of it. It wasn't leaf-bare and even leaf-fall, which this forest seemed to be in the midst of, should have had something. A branch broke suddenly, a loud sharp crack in the still air.

Honeybee's ears rose higher and she turned her head, staring in the direction she'd thought she'd heard the noise. Steady pawsteps padded through the undergrowth, unafraid, unhesitating. The sound grew louder until suddenly from behind a large yew bush a dark gray she-cat emerged. The shadows seemed to cling to her as she walked and Honeybee could barely make out the she-cat's ginger belly. She knew this cat. She'd heard stories.

"Eveningbreeze," she squeaked out, frightened.

She was sure her eyes were almost out of her head. She just couldn't keep her eyes off of this cat who'd been dead for almost two leaf-bares.

"Correct," the she-cat meowed, striding across the clearing. The yellow eyes stared unblinkingly as Eveningbreeze got closer, not slowly down in her approach.

Honeybee swallowed, the fur on her back rising. 'If she doesn't stop now. . .' she thought, nervously. She knew Eveningbreeze had killed Kinkstar, one of the former ShadowClan leaders, she knew Eveningbreeze and Fallingstar- then Fallingsnow- had been enemies. She didn't know if this dead cat wanted revenge or not.

Eveningbreeze did not slow. Her dark pelt brushed against a thistle bush and she got closer, almost to the center of the clearing, almost to Honeybee. The golden she-cat quickly leapt to her feet, ready to run.

She started to turn when Eveningbreeze sat down hard. They were hardly a tail length apart. Honeybee felt it was too close for comfort and started backing away.

"Stay," Eveningbreeze hissed, her eyes glaring.

Honeybee froze, her ears suddenly flat.

"Now sit," the dark she-cat growled. "We have things to discuss." When Honeybee sat, if reluctantly, the only thought on her mind was, 'why am I doing this?' What things did she and a dead cat have to talk about? How was this even possible?

"What did we need to talk about?" Honeybee hesitantly asked.

"The Clan," Eveningbreeze meowed. Her nose flared as if smelling a skunk and her lip curled.

"ShadowClan is fine," Honeybee meowed. "We're strong. We're getting bigger. I don't think there's anything we need to talk about."

Eveningbreeze lowered her head and stared at Honeybee, an annoyed expression on her face.

Honeybee shut her mouth. Obviously the part about discussing only meant Eveningbreeze could talk. Honeybee was okay with that. As long as Eveningbreeze didn't hurt her.

"We need to talk about the weak, useless warriors inside our Clan," Eveningbreeze meowed, taking a deep breath as if trying to calm down.

"No one is useless," Honeybee meowed, indignant. "We all do our part. We're stronger that when you were alive."

Eveningbreeze's eyes burned, her head rising, and her sharp claws flexed. Eveningbreeze let loose a snarl, her ears flattening back on her head. Honeybee swallowed and got ready to stand up again.

"You may have more cats than when I walked the land," Eveningbreeze hissed, "but you will never be the strongest Clan! Not like in the old forest when we were feared."

"Fear isn't everything."

Oh, StarClan, why was she trying to lecture this cat? She didn't understand it. She certainly knew she wasn't in StarClan now, but she knew this cat was dead. This evil cat. What did that make this odd dark place? Wait. The Dark Forest. The place StarClan had warned her of.

"Fear is everything," Eveningbreeze meowed. "The one who controls it, is the winner of any fight. Not that you'd understand that."

She looked away as if Honeybee was nothing but a silly kit.

"I understand," Honeybee protested. "I know that fear causes retreat."

Fear that Clanmates would die or be badly hurt made some cats give up. But she had a feeling it wasn't the same kind of fear Eveningbreeze spoke about. They were two different she-cat who'd led different lives and lived different experiences. Whatever hardships Eveningbreeze had faced to make her a traitor of her Clan wasn't something Honeybee could ever understand or even wanted to understand.

"That is a start," Eveningbreeze meowed. "So perhaps you do understand, or could learn."

"Learn?" she blinked. She'd heard stories, warnings, about cats who taught others in their dreams, other evil cats. She shuddered. "No thank you. I am not going to harm my Clan for you."

Eveningbreeze's anger left swiftly to become amusement. "Thought not. But I had to give it a try."

The silence suddenly grew and Honeybee became impatient, her nerves still tingling from the danger she felt and knew was there.

"If that's all we're going to talk about-"

"No, we aren't finished. We haven't even started," Eveningbreeze growled. "No, I came here to discuss you."

"But you said before it was about our Clan," Honeybee meowed in confusion.

"About the weak, useless cats, yes," Eveningbreeze purred.

Honeybee blinked and suddenly understood. "Hey!"

Eveningbreeze chuckled, a suddenly beautiful smile on her bitter face. "Now you understand."

"That isn't nice," Honeybee angrily growled. How dare Eveningbreeze trick her like that! Calling her one of the useless and weak ones.

"Life isn't nice, Sweetie," Eveningbreeze growled right back, baring her teeth. "Life isn't fair, it isn't polite, it isn't caring. Life is cruel, devastating, and unfair. The weak lose and the strong win. The kind are pushed aside and die when they try to help their Clans. They aren't understood and no one will help them."

Honeybee's eyes narrowed. Did Eveningbreeze think she was the kind one. . . ?

"And I know ShadowClan will never survive if it's letting cats like you become warriors."

Honeybee blinked, staring at the other she-cat. What in the world was she saying?

"You're so soft, you aren't even a warrior," the dark she-cat spat scornfully.

"Yes, I am," Honeybee meowed sharply. "Fallingstar-"

"Gave you a name." Eveningbreeze laughed twice. "Only because she gave them to your siblings. Cats that deserved it. Do you think she wanted to hold back a daughter? Keep her an apprentice forever?"

Honeybee opened her mouth to protest, hurt by the accusation, but Eveningbreeze continued too quickly.

"She had to do it. If she didn't, then she'd have to exile you. Such a worthless cat in the Clan would never work. You're a kittypet."

Honeybee stared at the dark she-cat's jaws. What had she just said?

Eveningbreeze's eyes flashed and a grin spread on her face. "You heard me. A kittypet. A soft, pathetic creature who loves to stay in the sun all day, letting Twolegs drag their filthy paws all over you. A cat that actually enjoys that, letting others get the food for them." She laughed again. "What good are you to the Clan? You can't even fight!"

Honeybee blinked.

"You can't even hunt."

Honeybee flinched now, hurt by the words.

"I-I've hunted. I caught some things."

"Less than even the youngest apprentice," Eveningbreeze hissed. "You know what your mother does. She lets you tag along after any cat. She doesn't order you around, doesn't give you duties. Doesn't that just prove how useless you are? She doesn't have any confidence in you, as a leader or a mother."

Honeybee gaped, her mouth hanging open as she stared at the dead she-cat. She hadn't ever realized, but now that she thought on it, Fallingstar had never ever given her special missions or let her lead a patrol; it was 'go wherever you felt like it', 'please watch over her will you?'

"The truth hurts doesn't it?" Eveningbreeze meowed, her eyes narrowed. "Especially when you know it's true."

"It's not," Honeybee protested, her ears burning with shame. "I am too important to my Clan."

"Kittypet. Kit-ty-pet," Eveningbreeze slowly taunted gleefully, pronouncing every syllable.

"I'm important," Honeybee continued.

"Kit-ty-pet."

"Fallingstar made me a warrior because I deserve it!"

"Soft, lazy, frightened, kittypet."

"No, stop it. Shut up!"

Honeybee turned, her chest aching, unwilling to hear anything more. She ran for the opposite end of the clearing in the forest of darkened trees.

"Yes, run, Honey, run. Run like any cat not worthy to have the name of a warrior or protection of a Clan. Run back to your twolegs! Even the horseplace cats are more useful than you!"

By now the cackling voice was fading as Honeybee slipped into the forest. The thick undergrowth caught in her legs. The thorns tore her fur. She stumbled over it, dodging the trees, unused to the thickness, unused to the darkness permeating under the black trees. She could hardly see, she couldn't even walk straight, and her head rang with the taunting of a dead cat. She had to get out of this place!

"Honeybee, stop moving around so much!"

The voice of her brother filled her ears, jerking her from the realm of darkness and into the camp. She opened her eyes. Her breath came rapid, her chest rising and falling quickly in time with her swift heartbeat. Her legs felt sore as if she'd been running for a long time through the undergrowth. She looked around to make sure she wasn't in that horrible place still with Eveningbreeze.

The camp filled with sunhigh sunlight. It slanted down from above, warming the ground around her, her fur growing warm as it shed the chill of the dark place. The nursery rustled with the two kits fighting inside, their happy squeaks filling the air. Batwing, lying outside of the bush opened one eye, peering to make sure they were okay, before closing it again and resting. Other than Batwing the camp seemed abandoned, all others on patrols or wandering about the territory. Honeybee sighed and turned over to stare at her brother.

Badgerface peered at her with his green eyes, concern on his tabby face. "You kept meowing in your sleep and kicking the ground. I've never been so dusty."

He shook out his fur and Honeybee saw the air shimmer with the rising haze. She would have smiled if her head wasn't filled with what had just happened.

"It must have been one bad dream," her brother continued, still watching her.

She nodded silently, unwilling to say anything about it. Who would believe her? And if they didn't, wouldn't they be suspicious of her meeting Eveningbreeze? They might start thinking she was the Dark Forest's contact. She shuddered. She couldn't tell anyone.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Where is everyone?" she meowed.

"After they finished eating they all left," Badgerface meowed with a shrug. "Fallingstar wanted everyone active and out."

"Why are you guarding the camp?" she asked. "You've done it almost every day this quarter moon!"

"You were still here," Badgerface meowed, looking down. "And well, I volunteered."

"Why didn't anyone wake me?" Her voice was almost as quiet as his.

"Fallingstar thought you might like to stay. We were up very late last night."

"No one ask for me to come with them?"

He shook his head.

Honeybee's ears burned. Eveningbreeze was right. Everyone thought she was useless. Completely useless that she shouldn't be included in any patrols. Too silly to be woken up from a sunhigh nap. Even if she and they had been up speaking with StarClan, her siblings had managed to fulfill their duties and asked to go places. Her throat ached and she quickly licked a paw to avoid looking at Badgerface.

"But I think Orangestripe wanted to go on a patrol with you later," Badgerface offered, his voice just a bit brighter. So he'd noticed her disappointment.

"I guess," she sighed.

"Maybe you could find him now?" her brother suggested.

She nodded but made no move to get up. If no one wanted her and she was just a tick to the whole Clan, why should she force herself on him or the others? She sighed and rolled away from Badgerface, letting the sun warm her other side. She didn't sleep though. She kept her eyes wide open, staring at the Large Stump as she waited with nothing to do, just playing a sham that she was even guarding the camp. At least Badgerface was dedicated. What good was she?

"Did you say something?" Badgerface suddenly asked, walking over to face her.

"No," she shook her head. "I didn't." She sure hoped she hadn't said anything out loud though. The thought was embarrassing. She had to be in more control.

_**-Line-**_

Later that day Orangestripe did get her on a patrol with him. She lagged behind while he pranced forward, lunging at fluttering leaves, just to return, grinning widely, sure she'd praise him. But she gloomily blinked at him just to sigh and walk on.

"Orangestripe," Knotfur chided after a short time. "Stop showing off. Honeybee isn't interested. And we have a border to mark, not play kit-games."

Orangestripe froze, his ears suddenly turning red. He shuffled off, his paws dragging in the soft sand. Honeybee felt bad for him but said nothing. She glanced upward at the pines mixed with leafy trees. They were so near the ThunderClan border that here the leaf baring trees combined with the pines and it was hard to tell where ThunderClan or ShadowClan started if not for the scentmarks. But it only reminded Honeybee of that dark forest where all kinds of trees grew. She shivered. Luckily there was no undergrowth here. She was free to walk proudly along, unafraid of tripping over anything. Just a few bushes and toadstools scattered here and there between the roots and trunks. Nearer the border, the bushes increased, enough for a cat to hide.

And one was hiding. As Knotfur, Orangestripe, and Honeybee got closer, a dark shape leapt outward, springing from the bushes, the leaves rattling his passing. Honeybee flinched and almost started running before she realized it was just Ashpaw. The gray apprentice with black paws stopped just before Orangestripe, a wide grin on his face.

"I scared ya, didn' I?"

"Yes," Knotfur sighed. "My heart is still racing."

His grin widened and Honeybee saw his paws kneading the ground.

"Don't you have anything better to do than scare warriors?" Orangestripe growled. "Where is your mentor?"

"Brownfeather told me I had the day to myself," Ashpaw mumbled. He dragged one paw on the ground.

"And so you took to stalking the ThunderClan border?"

Ashpaw looked up, his yellow eyes wide.

"Orangestripe, stop scaring him," Knotfur meowed. "It was all in fun. Do you want to come with us?"

Ashpaw looked up and nodded eagerly.

"All right, let's go."

Knotfur took the lead once more and Honeybee walked beside Orangestripe. Now that the apprentice was in the patrol, the ginger tom didn't jump and play like before. He walked, talk, and almost strutting as if now trying to show how much older and better he was than the apprentice. Ashpaw meanwhile strode beside Knotfur, happily walking along, his tail swinging. Honeybee's heart was still racing from the mock attack and she wondered if she'd really have run if a real enemy had attack.

Ashpaw didn't seem tired after last night. Honeybee was surprised Brownfeather let the apprentice wander around on his own. The five had returned to camp just early enough before the other warriors got up, but the night guard knew they'd stayed out all night. She hadn't seen them in the den at all. So she took them to Fallingstar, where Ashpaw admitted to hunting in the night and getting into some trouble and needing the rest to help him out. Then he said how he'd been too embarrassed to come back to camp because he was scared he'd get punished. So it had taken them all night to convince him to come back to the Clan. Somehow Fallingstar believed him. She let Brownfeather handle the apprentice's punishment and things returned to normal. She didn't even remark on how Lakefrost smelled like garlic.

The patrol continued peacefully for a while, marking where the scent had faded, all the time aware of the ThunderClan scent growing stronger. Honeybee figured a patrol had to be on their way. She wondered if they'd meet.

"Here they are."

Honeybee looked up and saw a group of four cats sitting by the border. Knotfur and Ashpaw halted and waited for Orangestripe and Honeybee to catch up. She eyed the four of them, recognizing Morningsong, a light brown-ginger tabby, and Pricklethorn, a dark brown tom with black and white splotches, but not the other two. One was ginger apprentice and the other a long-haired silver tom with a large white face.

"Yes, Pricklethorn here we are," Knotfur acknowledged. "What brings you here?"

"Border marking," the dark tom replied.

"The same for us," Knotfur nodded. "By why are you sitting here? Were you waiting for us?"

The five cats' eyes shifted and Honeybee instantly tensed. She knew something was wrong.

"Why weren't you?" Pricklethorn meowed.

"Why should we?" Knotfur asked, confused. Even Honeybee didn't understand. Why would they have to wait for ThunderClan?

"If you're going to remark the border, at least wait here to confront us and give us fair warning."

"Remark?"

"Yes, your stench is all the way over to that tree," Morningsong a brown-ginger she-cat meowed, nodding to a maple tree just a few fox lengths over the border.

Honeybee and Orangestripe shared a glance and he raised his head, sniffing.

"I don't believe you," he finally growled. "I don't smell a thing."

"Not this close you wouldn't," Morningsong meowed, her eyes narrow. "You can only smell yourselves on that side of the border."

"Come over here and see," Pricklethorn meowed.

Only Ashpaw accepted the offer. Before anyone could warn him, the apprentice put a paw on the border and quickly hurried over. The ThunderClan cats let him pass, their eyes on him as he walked through them and to the tree. Honeybee watched, her heart in her throat as he approach the maple. He paused and sniffed around.

"I don't smell a thing."

He seemed confused and started walking back. That was when Morningsong twitched her tail. The ginger apprentice rushed over along with the white-faced silver tom. They quickly tried to capture Ashpaw, but the apprentice leapt out of the way, dodging around the ThunderClan apprentice. The silver tom hissed, using his claws to pull Ashpaw to the ground.

The gray apprentice squeaked. "Help!"

"Don't just stand there!" Knotfur yowled at her Clanmates. Without hesitating, she leapt across the border, slamming into Pricklethorn.

Orangestripe hurried over to defend Ashpaw, quickly clawing the back end of the silver tom. He shrieked and let go of Ashpaw who immediately pounced on top of the ginger apprentice. Honeybee watched them before stepping over and getting face to face with Morningsong. She thought it was strange how similar she was to Fawnfur.

The ginger-brown she-cat blinked at her and looked her up and down.

"Easy stuff," she meowed.

Honeybee's eyes narrowed and she growled in anger. "I'll show you what's easy!"

Morningsong smiled at the challenge and quickly lowered herself, letting Honeybee make the first attack. The golden she-cat struck out with her front paw, not even hoping or believing it would make contact. It didn't. Morningsong swung her front paw up, blocking the attack, and quickly reached out to claw Honeybee's attacking leg.

Honeybee hissed in pain and the sharp claws scratched downward, drawing blood. She pulled away and showed her side to Morningsong, ready to fall on the other she-cat. Morningsong moved forward like expected, eager to hit the easy target, but Honeybee was quick. She moved her hind end, hitting Morningsong hard in the head, her tail whacking. Morningsong shook her head but quickly recovered, pressing forward and pushing Honeybee to the ground.

She struggled under the sudden weight, her back to the ground. She pulled her back legs under her body and tried to shove Morningsong off, but the she-cat just hung on, her claws deep in fur and flesh. Morningsong turned her head to bite Honeybee's shoulder. Honeybee's eyes widened as the pain hit and her mind screamed at her how close Morningsong was to her neck. The ThunderClan she-cat could just move a bit over and her life would be ended. She struggled even harder, uncertain now how to get Morningsong off.

O_h, why didn't I listen to Acornpelt more_, Honeybee's mind wailed. If she'd paid more attention during battle training than watching Orangepaw or wanting to lie in the sun, she might have actually defeated Morningsong. But here she was stuck, her life possibly in the balance.

"I give up!" Honeybee yowled, surprised even at herself.

Morningsong froze, her eyes widened as she slowly released Honeybee's shoulder. The blood poured down to the ground and Honeybee was afraid to watch it, keeping her eyes on the she-cat on top of her.

"What a kittypet," Morningsong scoffed, rising off of the golden she-cat. "Go back to your Clan silly kit."

Honeybee watched her back away. Morningsong kept her eyes on Honeybee and Honeybee suddenly felt ashamed. She glanced over the warrior's shoulder and saw her friends still fighting. Knotfur swept Pricklethorn's paws out from under him and the tom went down hard. Ashpaw rode on top of the silver tom, holding on with his claws and teeth, eyes wild. The ginger apprentice had run off somewhere and so Orangestripe worried the silver tom with the owl-like face in other ways, distracting him so he couldn't roll and hurt Ashpaw.

"Don't even try it," Morningsong hissed, pressing forward. "Give up now, and I might let your friends go."

Honeybee swallowed and felt for an instant that she ought to fight back, but then Morningsong hissed, rushing forward, her mouth open, teeth ready to tear. She shrieked and tail low, Honeybee raced away beyond the border and into the pines. She left behind her Clanmates, hearing Morningsong laugh behind her. "Kittypet!"

Honeybee's eyes and throat hurt as she ran. Morningsong was completely right. So was Eveningbreeze. Both knew what a coward she was. How little of a warrior she was. She'd lost her very first battle. She hadn't even helped her Clanmates.

"I have to leave," Honeybee choked out as she slowed to a walk, glancing behind where she thought she couldn't hear calls of anger and pain. She wasn't any help to her Clan at all. Fallingstar shouldn't have made her a warrior.

Honeybee swallowed back her grief and quickly strode away, the ache in her shoulder suddenly becoming apparent. She stopped and licked her wound, cleaning away the drying blood. It tasted horrible on her tongue. She closed her eyes suddenly seeing many more wounds. If she continued to be a warrior she would just get hurt like this over and over again. She shook her head. She couldn't live like this. So she wouldn't be a warrior.

Honeybee opened her eyes and glanced away from ShadowClan territory.

"I heard there were twolegplaces upstream," she meowed. Someplace far from home where no one would be able to find her. Where no one would remind her of her shame. A place she would never had to tell them about it. She swallowed, her nose suddenly running. She glanced once more at her camp- no ShadowClan's camp- and started limping away. She would become a kittypet. The only thing she was good at being anyway.


	8. Chapter 6: Sunstorm

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to reviewers: _Fawndapple, EeveeCelebi749, Chat et Chocolate, _and_ NatureGirl 27

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**Chapter 6**

"Well?" Sunstorm insisted. She felt her paws ache horribly and hoped this yellow-ginger tom couldn't see how weak and battered she was. She knew she couldn't win a fight with him. And she knew he wasn't hesitant about striking. He'd just attacked the white she-cat that currently crouched behind her.

"She's my mate," the tom finally meowed. He waited for her reaction.

"It doesn't seem like she wants to be your mate now," Sunstorm spat. "You should just leave her alone."

"Don't get involved in something you don't understand," he growled back, the snarl plastering itself on his features again. He leaned forward threateningly.

"I don't need to be involved to know that she hates you and is scared of you," Sunstorm replied, refusing to give in and back away. She glanced behind her shoulder at the other she-cat.

The white she-cat with a black belly crouched there, watching with wide blue eyes. Black trees formed a forest around them. Branches raising high into the sky narrowed, tipped by gray leaves. It was such a gloomy place and Sunstorm was surprised to even see any cats living here.

"What is going on?" she meowed.

"He won't leave me alone," the she-cat whispered. "I want him to go away, but he keeps coming after me."

Sunstorm looked back at the tom and gave him a glare. "That isn't very nice. You could do so much more than follow her around and make her miserable. I know, it might be fun for you, but really. . ."

The tom hissed at her and dug his claws into the sand. His tail thrashed behind him. "You don't even understand. Be quiet and leave us alone."

"I can't, not when you keep trying to harm her."

"He killed me," came the she-cat's chilling whisper. "He killed me and I came here. Then he came here after me."

Sunstorm blinked. This tom had killed her and then died too? Had he murdered her and then himself, chasing her down even to death?

"That's sick," she spat.

Suddenly his ears went down and his eyes closed. She watched his claws come in.

"I keep trying to apologize, but she won't listen," he meowed. His eyes flashed open and he looked over Sunstorm. "Please, Hawthorn, just give me a few moments."

"Shut up!" the white she-cat screamed and got up from her crouch. Sunstorm suddenly felt nervous to have her at her back. She couldn't see this other cat and it made her frighten. She couldn't keep both in her sights if she was supposed to be protecting one or the other, not that she wanted to protect the tom. She'd probably just run if they started fighting again. Or limp away as it may be.

"I don't care what you have to say. You're only here to punish me."

"Hawthorn," the tom pleaded.

"Quiet! All this is my punishment. You're here to punish me. You're words hurt like your claws hurt. Leave me alone!"

She wailed and raced away. Sunstorm turned to see her disappearing behind the black tree trunks, a flash of light fading away into the gloom. She stared after the she-cat and only turned when the tom sighed.

She looked at him. He leaned down, his head lower than his shoulders. His tail didn't even move behind him.

"You aren't going after her?" Sunstorm asked.

He just shook his head.

"I thought you wanted her," she meowed. It didn't make any sense. He'd been so insistent, obsessively so about being with her. Now he was just letting his 'mate' go.

"I do, but she won't listen to me. She never does." He looked up and stared at her with his multi-colored eyes. "It's been moons and she still believes there is nothing good here."

Sunstorm glanced around, one of her eye lids drooped. It sure didn't look like a fun place they'd picked out to live in. No prey, just these dark trees.

"My name's Forest by the way," the tom meowed. He flicked his tail. "That was Hawthorn."

"Great," she nodded with a tight smile. Like she really wanted to know who he was.

"Where is she going anyway?" Sunstorm asked.

"Anywhere from here," he replied. "She won't leave this forest. She never does. She wants to stay because she died and awoke here."

"And you?" she meowed, her eyes narrow.

"I won't leave her," he meowed, glaring back at her. "I don't care what you think, but it's not whatever your young mind can imagine."

"Young?" she questioned, suddenly in a strange mood. "We never age here," she told him. "For all you know I'm older than you."

He blinked and his ears went back. "I-I'm sorry then."

She smiled, feeling laughter bubble inside her chest. It suddenly turned into a cough. She sat down and wheezed until the constricted feeling left.

"Are you all right?"

She opened her eyes to see him peering at her, concern on his face. His eyes trailed down her chest to her paws. She looked down too. Blood leaked from her paws and cracked claws. She could even see the bloody paw prints leading away, probably even to the beach where she'd woken up.

"I had a rough day," she meowed.

He waited, but when she didn't continue, he looked away. She didn't feel the need to explain anything to him. He was an odd cat she still wasn't certain about. After all, what tom kills his mate?

"You should rest," he meowed.

"I have someplace to be," she answered.

She started to turn away, not interested in these problems anymore. She couldn't help and obviously Hawthorn had survived long enough with him. She wasn't in any mood or physical position to fight.

"Where?" he asked, tilting his head. He actually seemed interested.

"I don't want you following me," she growled at him.

"Don't worry, I won't," he rumbled back.

They stared at each other and then Sunstorm started walking away again. She could see the light changing on the ground and in the leaves. Overhead in the spaces she could see through the gray, the sky turned an orange. She had to find a place to rest. In the morning, she'd start her journey back to the mountains. Or at least back to StarClan.

"Just sit down and wait here," she heard him meow.

"No way," she answered, not turning around.

"I can't let you limp away like this. You aren't in any condition. Stay here and I'll be back with some prey."

She blinked and stopped walking. The mention of food made her stomach growl. She licked her lips and looked back at him, examining him with narrowed eyes.

He seemed different from when he held Hawthorn down. No longer was that snarl on his face, anger burning in his eyes. He seemed genuinely concerned now.

"You aren't just teasing me are you?" she meowed.

He sighed. "I know you probably don't trust me. I don't know what you think, but I'm not a bad cat. Just let me care for you right now. You can go on your way tomorrow. Whatever you'd like to do."

"Why are you doing this for me?" she meowed. "I can take care of myself."

"I need to feel like I'm wanted," she heard him whisper, his eyes closing. "I make a mistake. Just one mistake and it cost me. It tore my family from me. Now I can never be forgiven. I haven't seen one cat since we got here. It's just me and her. All alone here. Sometimes I feel like I'm going mad."

She watched him, his face changing into grief. She swallowed her throat suddenly tight.

_I shouldn't feel this way about him_, she told herself. _I shouldn't feel sad for him. I shouldn't believe what he says. I've seen what he did. He killed his mate. Who would even trust a tom like this?_

"I'll wait here," she meowed quietly.

He looked up at her and for a while his blue and green eyes didn't seem to believe her. Then he nodded. "I'll be back."

_Well, I hope so_, she thought, her eyes narrowing at his yellow-ginger back. _Why else would I stick around?_

When he disappeared between the black trunks Sunstorm looked for a place to rest. There wasn't any undergrowth to hide under, or moss to lie on. In a forest it just seemed natural to find a good bush to have overhead protecting you. Not that they needed protection. There weren't foxes, dogs, or badgers in this dead world. In the end she just sat and waited for Forest to get back. She found a spot in the remaining sunlight and let the warmth soak into her sore body.

The yellow-ginger tom came back as the light started to become dark blue and her beam of sunlight disappeared. He carried a large fish in his jaws. Sunstorm looked up when she heard his paws sinking into the sand.

"Here," he said, dropping the fish in front of her.

She stared at it. "Thanks." Fish wasn't her favorite thing. It was for RiverClan cats. But she didn't suppose there would be anything else in this black forest. He probably had to go to the stream to even catch this.

"I was surprised to find even after I died I was hungry," he meowed, watching her take a bite.

She grimaced at the strong taste. "So was I," she told him, remembering her first night she died. "But you get used to it."

"I suppose," he meowed.

He sat down, not too close. She was glad when he stopped watching her. It still made her uneasy to have him with her, but at least he wasn't growling at her anymore. It seemed less and less likely that he would attack.

"So where do you sleep?" she asked when she couldn't take another bite of the fish, too disgusted.

He licked his whiskers, his eyes on the remainder. "Anywhere. I find where Hawthorn is and I rest nearby."

"I suppose that isn't any different than the Tribe," she meowed. They slept in the open and she was almost used to it.

"The Tribe?" His ears went up.

She frowned at him. She really didn't want to tell him about anyone else. But as far as he knew there hadn't been anyone else in the skies. He probably hadn't even known when he died that he'd wake up here.

"They're a group of cats living in the mountains," she replied. "I visited them for a while."

"A group of cats?" he asked.

She nodded. "After cats die, they come here. Many watch their descendants and guide them."

"I didn't know we could see our families," he meowed. A hungry look crossed his features. Then he blinked. "So how did they meet up?"

"The Clans?" she meowed.

"No, the Tribes, group of cats." He obviously didn't realize these were the same things.

"When we were alive, we always knew we'd die and join StarClan or the Tribe of Endless Hunting," she meowed.

He stared at her. "You knew?"

She nodded. "We knew. Most rogues and loners don't though. So I can see how it was a shock for you."

He sighed. She wasn't expecting a reply, but he had something to say.

"Do you think we could find a way to look at our family?"

She stared at him. "I have no idea. Usually there's some special spot you all share in common. I think they have to know you're here to even see or contact them."

He gave another sigh, closing his eyes tight.

"I'd really like to sleep now," she told him. "So you can find Hawthorn now."

He opened one eye. "You just want to get rid of me. I understand. She's the same. But right here isn't the most comfortable spot to sleep."

He stood up and approached a tree. He started digging at the base of a trunk. Sunstorm stood up and limped over. Forest used his claws to pull away the sand, creating a low dipping nest. The sand slowly became darker, and a pile built up to the side.

"Here," he meowed and pointed to it with an ear.

He walked over to the fish and picked up what was left, eyes on her as if certain she would tell him to stop.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'll make sure Hawthorn is all right," he said through the fish. "I'll be back in the morning."

She watched him walk away and then she curled up inside the nest he'd made for her. Oddly enough, she felt completely safe.


	9. Chapter 7: Fawnfur

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my handy reviewers: _Chat et Chocolate, Nature Girl 27, _and _Goldenstream.

_Fawnfur plushies to you!_

_Someone suggested that Fawnfur was the evil cat and now I so want to make it that way! Unfortunately it just wouldn't work out. Sigh._

_I know I posted a chapter earlier today, but I had this one too. Give it up for the longest chapter so far._

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The sky was a brilliant bright blue by the time I reached the quarry. My heart pounded as I pushed through the bushes. I tried not to brush against them, but they still shook a bit. I winced, hoping no one was up early enough to see me. That no one wanted to do some early hunting. I could also only pray the sunrise patrol wasn't awake yet.

I entered camp and glanced around. No one was by the food pile or leaving the dens. But there was a cat. Firesong looked at me and then glanced upward to the sky. I watch her lick her lips, a concerned look crossing her face.

I grimaced, my heart frozen just as my legs. How could I forget about the night guard? I wondered. Ever since ShadowClan started acting strange (in Bramblestar's and the Clan's view) a night guard watched over the camp, waiting for an attack. Now this cat had seen me. I blinked at Firesong and debated whether it would be worth asking her not to say anything. I opened my mouth, but the ginger she-cat's eyes narrowed. She looked at me, her ears flat.

"Are you just going to lie to me?" she demanded.

I closed my mouth, swallowing. "I'm going to my nest," I muttered, turning away.

I didn't watch her. I could hear her steps as they faded away from me. I hurried to the quarry wall, where I could see the entrance to the medicine cat den. I reached the wall and started up the small trail. I heard two thuds behind me. I glanced back once to see the brown tabby pelt of Bramblestar hurrying behind me. My heartbeat picked up and my legs shook. I forced myself onward, even when I felt his warm pelt on my tail.

I entered the darkness, my eyes adjusting. I could make out my mentor's gray pelt. He lay in his moss nest. Mine was next to his, empty since yesterday. I hadn't been a sleep for almost two nights. StarClan was going to run me ragged with all their demands. You'd think when they stopped communicating, things would have been easier. But this was the most they'd ever spoken to me. I know I should have been grateful but it seemed they were causing endless problems for me they refused to help with.

"Jayfeather!" Bramblestar called. He shouldered me aside and we just barely fit together in the narrow tunnel. The jagged, cold stones pushed into my pelt.

The gray tabby head of my mentor rose, reminding me of another tom. He kind of did look like Lakefrost, I thought, my mind wandering.

"Your apprentice has just returned," Bramblestar growled. "I'd like to know why she was out all night. Alone."

"I told her to collect some raspberry," he meowed. He rose up from the ground. Moss fell from his pelt and he stretched slowly as if he weren't worried. "It only grows well on nights with the half moon. Yesterday we didn't have time to collect any."

"She doesn't have anything."

"I couldn't find it," I meowed quickly, not letting this opportunity pass. "WindClan must have got to it first. Sorry, Jayfeather."

He nodded to me and still Bramblestar glared between us. He didn't say anything as he turned away. Obviously no one could prove I wasn't doing what my mentor wanted.

I watched him disappear into the growing dawn. When I felt he wouldn't still be close enough to hear I let out my breath. I would have thanked StarClan except they'd gotten me into this mess.

"How did it go?" Jayfeather meowed. He sat next to me, interest on his face.

"Wonderful," I grumbled.

He stayed silent, now frowning.

I sighed and knew I had to explain. No matter what problems StarClan still wanted me to face. I thought about where to start.

"Someone spotted you?" Jayfeather meowed before I could say anything.

I blinked, wondering what he was talking about. Then I remembered Ashpaw.

"I found the others by the lake like they said they'd be," I explained, twitching my tail. "I had to avoid the sunset patrol, so it was dark when we finally started talking. We were about to leave when Ashpaw came."

I told him what happened then, chasing Ashpaw through the forest, and getting to the Moonpool later than I'd hoped. I grew silent and I thought of that great meeting of cats. So many voices just filled my head. Everything they demanded and still required us to do.

"What is the most important thing?" Jayfeather asked quietly, trying to make me focus. I realized he probably couldn't hear my thoughts if they were so jumbled.

"The Dark Forest is our enemy," I told him bluntly.

He blinked. When he didn't talk, I continued.

"They're going to attack on the full moon. They said Tigerstar was targeting ThunderClan and would kill us. He's gathered cats and is training them."

"This isn't good news. Fighting cats who've already died." He shook his head.

"I know," I meowed. "That's the worst, but there is something almost as bad. Living cats are willing to help them. Lakefrost and the others are supposed to find those cats from every Clan. We only have a quarter moon. It's impossible."

"It is possible," Jayfeather told me, brushing his tail on my flank. "As long as nothing else goes wrong you might have a chance."

"I should have just told Bramblestar," I shook my head. "They said I could. Why wasn't I thinking?"

I realized while he was with us, I could have told him where I was. I could have told him the real danger. Yesterday he hadn't liked I didn't have answers for him. Now I did. I should have told him. But my mind had been full of just telling Jayfeather, my trusted mentor who knew everything. I'd been scared of Bramblestar and of him rejecting my warning again that I hadn't said a word. Just what I could to protect myself. Was I selfish? I was sacrificing my Clan for myself.

"You aren't," Jayfeather told me. "It is right that we should discuss this first. We need to give Bramblestar details and more warnings. We have to make our story better than Owlface's. Bramblestar will believe us if we make sense."

"Owlface is probably the cat working for the Dark Forest," I growled, thinking of the silver tom with the white face. "He's been bothering me this whole moon, stopping me from succeeding."

Jayfeather tilted his head. "You may be right."

"Is is possible for him to hide that from you?" I asked.

"If he has something in the front of his mind, something he thinks constantly about," Jayfeather meowed. "That cat was you. I thought it was so obvious I didn't walk in his dreams or try to dig deeper." He snorted. "I wasn't being thorough. Anyone with so many loud thoughts could hide the rest from me."

"Well, it has to be him," I meowed. "That just means I'm going to talk to him again.

I shivered. I'd just gotten rid of him. Now I had to talk to him again? It just wasn't fair. And how was I supposed to tell him to stop speaking to the Dark Forest? That whatever they wanted him to do was a lie? I didn't even know what they'd promised him to get his cooperation. Me probably. I could only hope they'd threatened someone close to him and I could convince him they wouldn't be able to hurt that other cat. Maybe all this was just a sham and he was a worried tom inside.

Somehow I doubted that.

I suddenly yawned. My eyes closed and I had a hard time opening them again. I blinked at my mentor and he smiled at me.

"Get some sleep," he meowed. "You've been up late."

"But what do we tell Bramblestar?" I meowed.

"First talk to Owlface," he told me. "If you could get him to stop listening to the Dark Forest, or at least tell Bramblestar he was lying, we'll be a paw up."

I nodded. That sounded intelligent.

"You need to be rested if you want to help your Clan," Jayfeather told me. "I'll bring you back a mouse."

I nodded again and watched him walk away. When he left the den I walked to my nest. I curled up. It took me a while to find a nice spot. When I did close my eyes, I didn't want to open them again.

_**-Line-**_

Sunset red filled the entrance. Almost a half day had passed. When I did wake up, Jayfeather told me to clean out the nests. I chased down moss balls and dried leaves from the corners of the cave, and floating moss from the pool in the back. I felt better staying inside. I really didn't want to talk to Owlface. And Jayfeather and I were still working out what to tell Bramblestar.

A shadow covered the light and I glance up from my pile I'd neatly stacked. Morningsong limped in. Scratches marked her face, and bites along her legs. Blood dripped to the ground, running down her ginger-brown tabby pelt. I stared at her for a moment, shocked that my sister was coming to me wounded. I'd never had to treat her before and it stirred an odd feeling in me. The dead face of Sunstorm flashed into my mind.

"Are you all right?" I demanded, jumping forward. I pressed my nose into her fur, searching for the wounds, licking any that I found.

"I'm all right," she meowed gruffly. She didn't quite pull away, but I could sense she felt awkward with my attention. I guess I was treating her like a kit. "Pricklethorn and the others aren't so good."

"What happened?" Jayfeather asked. He came from the storage cleft, comfrey and burdock leaves at his paws.

I was ready to snatch them from him and give them to my sister when someone else came through the entrance. Sunlight rippled off of his red fur. As he entered the darkness his eyes glowed for only a moment. It was Rosepaw. I always thought he'd been cursed with a bad name. His parents must have thought he was a she-cat at first. His ears were torn, a cut down his whiskers, his tail bloodied.

"Border fight," Morningsong sighed in reply to Jayfeather's question. It sounded as if she were disappointed.

"WindClan?" I asked, accepting the herbs Jayfeather gave me. He must have realized I would have taken them from him. I quickly clawed the burdock apart, getting ready to apply it to her wounds.

"No, ShadowClan," Morningsong meowed, her eyes glancing up. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed all the trouble they've been causing lately?"

"Trouble?" my nose wrinkled. There hadn't been any trouble.

"They crossed the border," Rosepaw growled. "We fought them off!"

"We?" Jayfeather questioned. "Where are the others?"

I glanced around. No one else had come in. They needed treatment and I was surprised they weren't getting it.

"Pricklethorn is with Bramblestar," Morningsong meowed. "And Owlface didn't want to come in. You know. . . the problem."

My ears went down and I avoided her curious eyes. I didn't feel like explaining the problem to anyone. They all thought they knew, but I'd never told the real story to anyone but Jayfeather. Owlface had been after me the whole moon and everyone had noticed. Owlface had convinced them I'd promised to be his mate if he didn't tell them about my meetings with Lakefrost. They'd believed him over me. And I still had to talk to him! I hadn't realized he'd been on the patrol.

I started chewing the burdock into a mash, forming a poultice. I smeared it on my sister's side. Once it was on, I placed the comfrey. I soon started looking for cobwebs to hold on the herbs and stop the bleeding. As I worked I asked her questions.

"What happened to ShadowClan?" I meowed.

"You concerned about someone in particular?" my sister challenged.

I glanced up and saw her staring at me, one eye narrowed, her head tilted.

"No," I defended myself. "I was just wondering who won."

"We did, of course," Rosepaw meowed proudly.

"One she-cat ran off," Morningsong meowed. "So there were more of us. We beat them back over the border and then they ran for home."

"Who started it?" Jayfeather asked.

"They did!" Rosepaw meowed quickly. I glanced over. Was that guilt in his eyes?

"Their scent was by a maple on our side of the border," Morningsong explained. "We waited and they came back. We challenged them and then an apprentice ran over the border to fight. Of course we couldn't let him get away with it. When Rosepaw started fighting with him, the others ran over."

"We clawed their ears off!" Rosepaw yowled happily.

"Well, good work," I meowed. As I said it, my heart wasn't in it. They'd just beat a ShadowClan patrol. A patrol that had been trying to take our territory. I felt more worried for ShadowClan though. Who had been in the patrol? Had they been wounded much? Was it Lakefrost? Did he know what his Clan was doing?

I knew I had to find out.

"You're all set," Jayfeather meowed.

I nodded to my sister. She smiled at me.

"Thanks."

"Just send Pricklethorn over when he gets out of Bramblestar's den," my mentor told her.

Morningsong dipped her head and she took Rosepaw from our den. I watched her leave. My chest still felt tight. I worried she might get an infection.

"I want you to care for Owlface," Jayfeather told me.

"What?" I turned to him, my eyes wide.

"Take him some herbs. This will be the perfect excuse to talk with him. Ask him about the Dark Forest and try to convince him to tell Bramblestar the truth."

I nodded. My mentor was right. I might not be looking forward to this, but I had to do it. I walked to the storage and shifted around, finding the right herbs, twirling cobwebs over my tail. As I came back out, a bundle of herbs wrapped in a leaf clenched tightly in my jaws, I saw Pricklethorn coming through the entrance. He reeked of blood. My nose wrinkled. As I came close, I could see claw marks all over him. His ears were almost shredded.

"Flea-pelts," I heard him mutter. "I don't think I'll be able to move tomorrow."

"Let me decide that," Jayfeather meowed firmly. He started nosing the dark tom.

I walked around them and into the sunlight.

I blinked as it filled my vision. I looked down at the quarry. My Clanmates stood around. Their voices buzzed in the air. I spotted Morningsong with a few of the warriors and Rosepaw with the apprentices, swiping his paws in the air as if reenacting the fight. It wasn't a surprise they all knew about the battle or were busy discussing it. They seemed outraged and shocked that ShadowClan would do something like that. I searched the familiar cats, looking for one in particular.

I thought I spotted him near the fresh kill pile. I hopped down to the ground and started walking through my Clanmates. I could see them move away from me. I glanced over just to see glares sent my way. My ears went back, my head down. They didn't seem to be the forgiving sort. Just as the tale of the battle spread, so did my supposed 'disloyalty'. I'd been speaking with ShadowClan and I had encouraged Owlface. I wasn't the best she-cat in the Clan at the moment.

I tried to ignore them and I made it to the silver tom, setting the leafy bundle beside him. He gazed at me, a hard look in his yellow eyes.

"What do you want?" he growled.

"I'm here to help you take care of your wounds," I tried to sound calm and cheerful all at once.

He frowned and looked away. He licked his paw and rubbed it along his face, cleaning some of the blood.

"I'm a medicine cat," I meowed. "It's my job."

_Even if I hate you._

"Fine," he nodded.

I nodded in return and started picking through the herbs I'd brought. I couldn't help but hear the silence in the immediate area around us. Then the whispers started again. My ears twitched.

"Look. She's there with him."

"What is she doing?"

"She's licking him. It's like she actually loves him."

"He didn't even go to the medicine cat den. She came to him."

I could almost feel their eyes burning into my back. My throat felt tight as I licked the poultice onto his chest. He sat there. I could feel the muscles beneath his pelt. They were tense and I knew he could hear them as well. Was he glad of their talk? Was he happy what he'd done?

They didn't trust me. They seemed to believe we had something going on. That I was the one doing it all. That it wasn't his fault. I bared my teeth and ducked my head so no one would see. This was completely unfair! I had done nothing but try to help them, yet they insisted on seeing my deceit.

"Owlface," I whispered. "You have to tell the truth."

He glanced down at me. "What do you mean?"

"You have to tell Bramblestar you were lying."

"I wasn't lying," he growled back.

"You told him I said I'd be your mate if you promised not to tell anyone I was meeting Lakefrost."

"You did promise," he meowed as quietly as I.

"But it wasn't my idea!"

"That still doesn't exclude the fact you were meeting with ShadowClan tom. That you were going to meet with him again. You also spoke with ShadowClan warriors just three days ago. You can't say you're innocent.

I gasped. My eyes were wide as I stared into his eyes. Anger smoldered there, but they were clear otherwise, his face firm. He thought he was being honest. It was the way he saw everything. He thought he wasn't lying to Bramblestar. To him it was the truth, that I was a miserable medicine cat apprentice that had brought everything onto herself.

"Stop working for the Dark Forest," I hissed at him. "They are lying to you. They won't give you what you want."

The anger left his eyes and he just stared at me.

"If you keep this up, we're all going to die," I continued. If I let him talk, he might just laugh me off, pretend he knew nothing. "I don't know why you have to listen to them or what made you follow them in the first place, but stop it."

He pulled away from me, his eyes growing wider. His nose twitched.

"We're all in danger."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," he shook his head. He continued to lean away from me. I saw his eyes scan over my head as if searching for help.

"I think you should go back to Jayfeather," he told me. "Get some more sleep or something."

Then he backed away. I watched him go, continuing to glare in his direction. When he disappeared behind the others I realized he'd been acting strange. He'd had no reaction other than fear. I blinked. It was as if he didn't know what I was saying. There had been no recognition in his eyes as I mentioned the Dark Forest.

I looked down. Did he know anything at all? He'd seemed scared of me. Almost like I was a crazy cat.

"I see you're all gathered." Bramblestar stood on the high ledge. He looked over us all, his eyes resting on me a second before moving on. The Clan grew silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Likely you know the situation. ShadowClan is trying to take more territory. They remarked the border. Pricklethorn and the others fought for it. They won and we still have our territory."

The Clan yowled their excitement. They'd won and so proved we weren't a Clan easily defeated.

"ShadowClan has been deceitful. They are growing bold since the sickness," Bramblestar continued. "Lately their borders have been guarded. They are vigilant about something. Perhaps fearing our retribution for their attempts on our land. They've crossed before, so this comes as no surprise. We must be aware, they will try again. From this point on, we are at war with ShadowClan. Should they make one more move, we will attack at the heart of their camp."

I watched my Clan nodded, many called their agreements. ShadowClan had been using us. They'd been discounted as weak since they were one of the smallest Clans, then Fallingstar took over, growing ShadowClan and dealing with the other Clans. Everyone must have thought as the youngest ever leader she wouldn't be a threat, but these actions made her dangerous. I still couldn't help but think how wrong it was. Why would ShadowClan suddenly do this?

"We will double our patrols, watch their border like they've watched ours," Bramblestar meowed. "Cinderheart, take care of that. We will start tonight. We can't let them take advantage or think we are overly confident. They might think we've celebrated our victory and are too mouse-brained to think they would attack again."

He nodded and then wandered back into his den. Cinderheart, my gray mother, stood up from where she sat at the bottom of the Highledge. She walked to my Clanmates and for a moment I wanted to be called to go on that patrol. I wanted to see what was going on. I had to ask Lakefrost. But I wasn't a warrior any longer. I couldn't go on these patrols. And I'd never be allowed to cross the territory to speak with him.

I narrowed my eyes. I just had to try. I had to see Lakefrost. Perhaps the cat who started this was the one in their Clan they had to be wary of. The one working for the Dark Forest. I glanced around, looking for Owlface. I couldn't find him. He'd probably gone to his den. My tail thrashed, the cobwebs collecting dust. We probably wouldn't get another moment like this one. And if went looking for him, my Clan would have an even bigger excuse to hate me.

I grumbled to myself as I picked up the leaf, bundling the leftover herbs in it.

_**-Line-**_

I left Jayfeather near the abandoned twoleg nest. He'd come with me to the border. Bramblestar and the other cats would see us leave together. We'd return to camp together as well. This way no one could prove I hadn't been doing my duty. Of course they could always accuse me, but they'd never be able to prove it, and they might be suspicious, but I was less likely to get caught with Jayfeather covering for me.

I padded quickly through the forest. Stars twinkled above me as for the second time I entered ShadowClan land. The pines grew thickly in this part of the forest. The fallen needles coated the ground, muffling my pawsteps. I constantly sniffed the air, my ears twitching for the slightest sound. Perhaps it was foolish of me to go into the territory alone, but I had to find Lakefrost.

I stopped walking, my heart sinking. It wasn't possible. Unless I went into their camp. He was still being punished. Of course going there, they'd see it as me attacking and I would have to run for my life. I had to find one of his siblings instead. But the only one I truly wanted to see was him. The others might be on my side, but Mallowstalk didn't like me much, Honeybee probably could care less, and I didn't think Badgerface was as smart as Lakefrost.

I sighed and shook my head. I really wasn't thinking straight these days. I glanced around wondering what I should do. Would it be luck that finally led me to him? Would it be worth waiting around? I licked my lips. No, I had to go to the camp. It would be risky, but I needed to do it.

I started walking again. I didn't know where the camp was, I'd never been shown, but I followed the scents of ShadowClan. Where it was stronger, there they'd be. I could only hope I didn't run into one of the warriors on my way. After the battle that evening, they probably wouldn't be very nice to me.

I walked, fearful all the way. There wasn't any bushes to hide under, no ferns or grasses. The tree branches looked a bit too high to climb. Twice I lost my way. I thought I was following a scent trail when it would grow fainter and I had to find my way back again.

Suddenly I heard movement, like many claws over the ground. I froze, my eyes wide as I glanced around. Where could I hide? I dove to the side of a tree, huddling against the rough bark, and shaking. My eyes were closed, perhaps thinking like a kit, if I couldn't see them they couldn't see me. I heard the steps growing louder. There wasn't a sound but breathing. They didn't make conversation as they walked by. They didn't stop either. When nothing happened, no call and no teeth in my neck, I opened my eyes and looked around in the darkness.

The trees remained dark shadows, moss edges ringed in silver from the moon. Boulders rose from the ground in places, very few bushes scattered between the trunks. I could make out no cat. They hadn't seen me or smelled me. I swallowed and glanced skyward with quiet thanks. Slowly I rose from the ground, stepping quietly over the needles, walking in the path the cats had left. I knew they must have come from the camp, bound for the border. I shivered, wondering what they'd do when they came across my scent.

I walked along until I found a ring of bushes. They rested in a small clearing and I thought I could see a stump of a tree. This had to be it, the ShadowClan camp. I narrowed my eyes searching for moments and forms. I couldn't just walk in there not knowing if there was a guard. I actually couldn't walk in there at all. I didn't want to be caught there. Instead I circled the camp, sniffing the bushes. That smelled like milk and warmth, that smelled like old must and mousebile, near the tree stump smelled like one cat, the bushes next to it like many herbs, and the last the scents of many cats. I had found the warrior's den.

I tilted my head. Now what? The bushes were reinforced with woven brambles and branches, deterrents to foxes and badgers and of course making sure no one could leave that way. I couldn't just shove my head in and hope everyone was sleeping. I gazed upward. The moon was already sinking through the needles. The tree tops rocked in a high wind. I could see shapes flying overhead, swooping and diving. A larger form sliced through the air, catching one of the bats before disappearing between the trees. I shivered. I didn't like owls.

I turned my attention back to the den. I could hear the sounds of faint snoring and muttering. The occasional shifting cat, shook the leaves. I knew I couldn't just wait all night for him to use the dirtplace. I sat, thinking. Maybe I could claw my way in, but that would draw attention to the den, and maybe wake someone. I couldn't call for him. I sighed. This really was hopeless. But I had to know what happened at the border, why ShadowClan was attacking.

I slowly raised my paw, placing it on the bush. I winced as the thorns pressed against my pad. I cautiously slid my claws out, grasping a vine and pulling to the side. The bush moved. I flinched, biting my lip. When nothing happened, I tugged again. So slowly the branches parted. There was a small hole. I pushed my face against it, peering in. It was dark inside. I could barely make out shapes. There wasn't enough for a whole Clan. For a moment I was confused. Where was everyone? Then I realized. Out of all of us, ShadowClan was the most nocturnal. They would still be out. I grew nervous. That meant so many cats were out in the territory. They could come back soon.

I searched for the familiar gray pelt. I didn't see him and at first I believed maybe they were shunning him. Then I remembered what Honeybee had said. I could have hit myself. He wasn't allowed to sleep in the warrior's den. He'd be in the apprentice den. I found it quickly and repeated the process. I thought I could see him, a larger cat with the smaller apprentices. There was a large gap between him and them. I found the entrance. He was near it. I had a chance. But I'd have to go into the camp. I growled low, releasing the bush. It jumped back into place. I slunk around the bush looking for the entrance of the camp. I quickly found a gap, pushing through as quiet as I could. I looked around, searching for the guard. There he was. The tom sat near the nursery. Yellow eyes glared around the camp. How was I supposed to get in with him watching?

The tom leaned down, licking his chest and paws. I shuffled inside the camp, walking quickly to the apprentice den. Don't look up, don't look up. If he did, I hoped he only thought it was one of his Clanmates returning. But what cat looked like me? Or smelled like me? I should have rolled in something when I crossed. Besides why would a warrior be looking in the apprentice den? I poked my head into the bush, pressing as close as I could, but did not go in, not wanting to wake anyone. My eyes had to adjust again. I moved closer, hesitantly placing my paw inside. I pulled my shoulders in and nudged Lakefrost.

His eyes instantly opened. They stared up at me. I could still feel my hind quarters exposed to the air. My heart pounded as I waited for a shout.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered.

"We need to talk," I hissed. "Come on."

He nodded and got up, glancing back at the three apprentices. I backed out, Lakefrost coming with me. Instantly his eyes were searching the clearing. He spotted the guard, who now faced a different direction. I swallowed.

Lakefrost stood between me and the guard, shadowing me with his larger and lighter side. I would be nothing more than a shadow on the bushes. He guided me to an area that smelled of cat dirt. We pulled through to the other side into fresh, piney air.

"What's going on?" he asked quietly.

"We have to talk," I meowed. "I heard about the border attack."

"We didn't do anything," Lakefrost growled.

"I wasn't accusing you. I just wanted to know what happened. It doesn't sound like ShadowClan. We haven't fought over that border for a while."

He nodded. "We haven't. Knotfur and the others came back to get help, but when we arrived no one was there. They'd actually expected help before when Honeybee left them, but she hasn't come back yet."

"Your sister is gone?" I meowed in surprise.

He nodded again.

"I hope she comes back soon."

"So do I. But we didn't start that battle. Your Clanmates claimed we'd remarked the border. Ashpaw went over to see and they attacked him."

"He's all right?"

"He's fine. The little fur-ball actually liked his first battle. But we didn't do anything."

"I believe you," I told him. I did. Was that saying something when I didn't believe the word of my own Clanmates, of my own sister? I sighed. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right," I meowed. "I thought maybe the cat that caused this was the one working for the Dark Forest. It doesn't make any sense otherwise."

"You may be right," Lakefrost meowed. "But my Clan didn't start it."

I lowered my head. "So it was one of mine. I already spoke to Owlface, but he just thinks I'm crazy. The others might be, but one is my sister. She wouldn't do this."

Lakefrost tilted his head, waiting.

"I better go," I meowed, "I just had check."

"You were brave to come here," he told me.

"Thanks," I smiled. "I didn't think I'd make it. Bye."

I stood up and started around the camp. Lakefrost looked after me, but soon started back to camp. I quickly started back to the border, no wiser about the battle, but feeling better now that I knew the ShadowClan cats were fine. That Lakefrost and his siblings were fine. Of course, I did wonder what happened to Honeybee.


	10. Chapter 8: Lakefrost

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to reviewers: _Chat et Chocolat, Nature Girl 27_, and _Goldenstream

_Sorry I forgot to upload last week. I was busy with so many tests. I'll give you two chapters to make it up._

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Early the next morning, just as the sun just started to rise, the dawn patrol already on the move, Lakefrost looked around camp. The walls of bushes enclosed the small clearing in the pine forest. Fawnfur's scent settled on the ground and bushes near the apprentice den, and he was sure it would be out on the territory. Hopefully it would be unnoticed and soon fade in the newer scents of ShadowClan if no one was looking for it. He started to wander out of the camp, pushing through the spares bushes, wondering if her scent would be around the outside and if there was a way he could cover it up.

"What are you doing?"

His heart jumped. He looked over his shoulder at Knotfur. The black she-cat with tangled fur stood staring at him, her features stiff with annoyance and distain. She was the only one in the camp that morning. Everyone else was still sleeping or on the patrol, but that would end very soon as more cats awoke for the day.

"You aren't trying to escape from camp again are you?"

He quickly shook his head. "No. I was going to look for Honeybee."

Knotfur blinked, her face relaxing, her eyes taking on a sympathetic cast. "Yeah, she didn't come back last night did she?"

Once again, he shook his head. He suddenly felt guilty. Maybe he should have stayed up to wait for his sister, and he knew he probably shouldn't to use her as an excuse to covering up what he'd done with Fawnfur. Everyone had thought Honeybee would come back eventually, so it was odd that she was still missing. As the day went on, they might start fearing for their lost Clanmate.

"Let's look for her then," Knotfur meowed, her tail straight, a smile on her muzzle. "Come on."

He stared after her as the black she-cat wove passed him. She was going to help him? She'd been avoiding him lately since his punishment. When he'd run off on her during hunting. He felt a spark of happiness in him. Were things going to be different? The way they'd been before the Dark Forest? He hoped so. He couldn't stand the hate she stared at him.

He trotted out after her. He caught up as they passed the first tree. The low needles waved at them in a small breeze. The ground underpaw was coated with fallen brown needles and the occasional old leaf. Birds called around them, a squirrel bit into a nut, and he could catch the faint smell of fox. Side by side they hurried through the territory, Lakefrost following her, just happy to be near her again. She knew where they were going, she had a destination in mind. He didn't know the first place to look for his sister.

Knotfur led them to the border where the battle had taken place. Lakefrost hadn't been part of the group to rush back after the defeat. He'd been required to stay at camp. Probably no one trusted him. They all thought he had a mate in ThunderClan anyway. He shook his head and looked around. Leaves lay strewn about as if flung, patches of bare ground shown through, plants pressed down. There were the scents of old blood and many cats, the smell of anger, and over it all were the very fresh scentmarkers of both ShadowClan and ThunderClan.

"She was here last," Knotfur meowed as Lakefrost took in the different scents. "I guess something must have happened if she didn't come back. Maybe she needs help right now. It was foolish of me to not look for her. I was leading that patrol and I let her down. She could have been really injured."

Lakefrost looked at his Clanmate. She seemed apologetic for losing his sister, her tail tip touching the ground, her whiskers forward as she looked up at him.

"What happened?" he asked even though he'd heard the story. "Who started that fight?"

"Like I told the Clan last night, it was unprovoked. They were waiting for us here. Waiting to attack. Ashpaw just gave them the excuse. He was mouse-brained to go over like that." She shook her head.

"Who told him to?"

Her ears tilted. "Pricklethorn I think. I can't really remember. It was either him or that Morningsong. The other two were just their lackeys. I hope ThunderClan punishes them for this," she hissed.

"I doubt it," Lakefrost muttered. Not after what Fawnfur had said. ThunderClan thought ShadowClan had started it. They saw their Clanmates as heroes, so they wouldn't punish them for that. He flicked his ears and started searching for his sister's scent. He found it just over the border. He hesitated to cross, but most of the fight had taken place on ThunderClan land. He stood, leaning over, his eyes on drops of blood splattered on the leaves. His tail stiffened. She had been injured, but not badly to judge by the small amount and that she'd been able to run.

Knotfur's pelt brushed his and he pulled away from the border line. She flicked her tail.

"Her scent leads this way."

He turned and started following her. His sister's smell led back through their territory. Though faint, fainter than even Fawnfur's, it was easy to follow. No one had traveled over Honeybee's scent, blurring it. As they walked, they didn't speak. He was too worried about keeping on his sister's trail and what they'd find at the end. The smell led deeper into the territory, starting for camp, but then it suddenly veered away. By sunhigh, they'd arrived at the stream. This was upstream of the lake, and the ribbon of water veered alongside the tree-covered mountain, trailing away through the trees out of Clan territory. Her scent was almost washed away by the damp ground and smells of growing things.

"She's not coming back," Lakefrost meowed, staring upstream.

Knotfur brushed his shoulder with her tail. "We have to tell Fallingstar."

He nodded and slowly turned away. What was Honeybee thinking? Why had she left the territory?

_**-Line-**_

When Lakefrost and Knotfur returned to camp, a group of cats clustered around Fallingstar and the Large Stump. The gray warrior shared a glance with Knotfur before they trotted forward through the entrance. He strained his ears, picking up on the problem.

"We know they were there," Olivespot meowed earnestly. "We caught their fishy scents. And the prey was hidden, as if something had frightened them."

The others in the patrol nodded, murmuring that was what they'd seen.

"What is going on," Fallingstar meowed, blinking. "First ThunderClan and now RiverClan? It's as if they're trying to take our territory from us."

Lakefrost and the others nodded. It did seem that way, and both in two days. The Clans on either side fighting over a slice of their land, trapping them in. Something was wrong. As wrong as Honeybee deciding to leave. The Dark Forest must have been rising like StarClan warned.

"I suggest we do patrols again," Tigerheart meowed.

Fallingstar turned to her deputy.

He continued, "We need to make sure perhaps a foolish apprentice didn't cross over or a kit on a dare."

"And to also make sure the Clan isn't stealing or planning an attack, we watch them," she finished for him. "I agree. Plan border patrols tonight. I want it doubled; one group than the other a few heartbeats later. That will throw them off."

Tigerheart nodded and stared calling names. Lakefrost instantly stopped listening to the tabby deputy. He usually wasn't called for anything since his punishment. He was supposed to take care of the elder. His ears went back as he realized he'd forgotten to change the mossy bedding for both the nursery and elders' den that morning. He had some time before evening to collect it, but first he had to talk with Fallingstar.

"I'm telling Fallingstar what we found," he told Knotfur, waving his tail to catch her attention.

"Need me to help?"

"No, I'm sure she'll believe me." He winced, remembering that lately the Clan leader had not. His excuses hadn't sounded very plausible before, but at least Knotfur could tell Fallingstar the truth if the leader insisted.

Lakefrost quickly walked around the group to his mother, who had leaned back to speak with Brownfeather. He cleared his throat to get her attention. They both looked at him.

"I haven't seen you around camp all day," Fallingstar meowed quietly.

"I was with Knotfur," he told her.

"You've made up?"

He shifted, looking at his paws. "Not quite. We went looking for Honeybee."

Fallingstar's ears pricked. Even Brownfeather looked anxious to hear.

"Did you find her?" he looked around, but not seeing her said, "She's not dead is she?"

Lakefrost hesitated. "She's . . . left the territory."

His parent's eyes widened, but they didn't say a word.

"We found her scent and followed it. We never found her. If she was coming back, the scent would have been fresh."

"But why?" Fallingstar meowed. "Why is she gone? Did she join ThunderClan?"

Lakefrost briefly wondered why she'd ask that, and then told them. "No, she followed the stream out of Clan territory."

Now Fallingstar gasped. For a moment she didn't even look like a Clan leader, just a young mother who had lost her kit.

"What is she doing?" she asked again, this time only a whisper.

Lakefrost didn't watch as Brownfeather leaned against his mate, murmuring into her ear. Fallingstar hunched over, her eyes closed. Only her ear flicked as Brownfeather spoke. Lakefrost realized now would be the time to leave her, respect her confused grief that Honeybee had left the Clan for no apparent reason, but he felt he had to stay. There was something he wanted to do.

"Let me go after her," he meowed.

The ShadowClan leader's eyes flashed open. The green orbs stared at him. "Why?"

Brownfeather held his tongue and waited for his son to answer.

"I know you could get better warriors than me to look for her," he started to explain, "And I know I m still being punished." His nose flared. He probably shouldn't have reminded her. She might still be angry with him or didn't trust him or something and if this went wrong, he'd still have a moon-and-a-half left of sleeping in the apprentice den.

He continued, "But I'm worried about her. She's my sister and I want to find her and if she won't listen to anyone else in the Clan, maybe she'd explain to me why she wanted to go. She might have a good reason, might be embarrassed or ashamed, or maybe she's on a mission for StarClan." Doubtful as that was. She already had one and that was here in ShadowClan.

"But when she won't talk to the Clan, she might to me. Send me. You need your other warriors here to deal with RiverClan and ThunderClan. I'd only stay at camp anyway. No one even counts me anymore or takes me places. So I can go and no one would really miss me."

"No," Fallingstar meowed, shaking her head.

His heart dropped, his cheeks sagging. She'd refused.

"I can't let you go alone. It's dangerous out there."

His ears pricked and he looked at Brownfeather. What did his father think?

"She's right," the dark brown tabby meowed. "The Clan keeps us safe. You can't just go."

"I'm a fully trained warrior," he reminded them. "And you need everyone else here. If I must take someone, I'll bring Ashpaw."

Now they both blinked at him in surprise. Fallingstar looked wary.

"He still needs training," Brownfeather meowed. He was the apprentice's mentor and would know. "It's one thing to send two warriors, another to send out a young warrior and an apprentice."

"One who you have reason to dislike," Fallingstar meowed dryly.

"We're over that," Lakefrost waved his tail. Ashpaw might have caused so much trouble that last moon, but things were different now that the apprentice knew of StarClan's prophecy.

"We don't have much time to waste," he told them. "She could be getting farther and farther away."

Fallingstar blinked and looked down. Slowly she nodded.

"Are you sure you won't take anyone else?" Brownfeather asked, leaning into his mate's side.

Lakefrost shook his head. "The less to worry about and care for, the better."

Brownfeather wished him well.

"Bring her back," Fallingstar told him.

Lakefrost stared into her eyes. "I will."

He turned away and went off to find Ashpaw. The meeting was already disbanded, many of the cats wandered off. They respected their leader and didn't get involved in private issues. Only Tigerheart remained, waiting to talk with Fallingstar. The deputy nodded to him. "Good luck."

Lakefrost nodded back to his grandfather and looked around camp. Ashpaw was resting beside the apprentice den, eating a sparrow. Lakefrost's stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since last night. He would choose some food and then he and Ashpaw could leave.

_**-Line-**_

"So what do we do when we find her?" Ashpaw asked.

He leaped up, pushing with his back legs off of the ground, batting a low leaf. It was a great jump, good for catching flying birds, but Lakefrost wasn't impressed. He was impatient. They were on serious business, no time for games.

They'd left the territory a while back. This was all new land. The stream flowed to their right the mountain rearing up on the other side. A small bank dipped down to the water where tall reeds with fluffy tips grew. Some stones rippled the surface of the water into white. All around them the trees were pine and spruce, but it changed to the leaf baring variety, and undergrowth was thick beneath the trunks. He wasn't quite sure where to go in this place that wasn't claimed by the Clans. He could only follow Honeybee's scent and the stream which she'd followed for a short time. He could still catch her scent on the reeds or tall grass, find clumps of fur on thorns as he she'd just ambled along, no more certain that he where she was headed.

"Well?" Ashpaw chirped.

Lakefrost glanced over to the ash gray apprentice. A hopeful look was in his yellow eyes.

"Why did she even run away?" the young tom asked.

"You'd know better than me," Lakefrost muttered. He was starting to regret bringing his companion. He'd forgotten how annoyingly talkative the apprentice was and how grumpy he got when things didn't go his way. But Lakefrost had brought him because Ashpaw knew the truth and because he wanted some company. His siblings had to stay at camp. They had their own mission to fulfill.

"She was pinned down," Ashpaw meowed quietly when Lakefrost finally thought the apprentice would be silent and realize how serious the journey was. He glanced back over his shoulder where Ashpaw trailed near the stream side.

"I was busy fighting," the ashy tom continued, "but when I sent Rosepaw fleeing, I got a break. I could see her under a she-cat who looked just like Fawnfur. The ThunderClan warrior seemed too much like her that I didn't want to attack. I thought Honeybee would fight her off. When Orangestripe yelled for me to help, I just turned away. It's my fault she's gone isn't it? If I'd helped her, maybe she wouldn't feel so alone."

Lakefrost stared at the young tom. He really seemed depressed. His ears and tail low, his eyes not focused on the path his paws took.

"Of course it's not your fault," he meowed automatically. "She- made her own choice. We'll find out why when we catch up. Now are you hungry?"

Ashpaw looked up, his eyes still drooping as he nodded.

"Then we'll hunt and stop for the night."

"But her scent will fade!"

"Not so badly," Lakefrost meowed. "She's only a day ahead-" StarClan what a long time it seemed! "- and I don't think she was hurrying like us. She had to sleep sometime."

Slowly the apprentice nodded.

"We'll meet here by the stream at first star, okay?"

Ashpaw nodded again. Lakefrost sighed when the apprentice was finally gone. He really did wonder now why she'd just left. Was it because she'd lost to Morningsong? It seemed like an odd reason. Warriors lost fights all the time. They didn't like to talk about it, but it happened. Or was Mallowstalk right? Lakefrost thought back to camp before he and Ashpaw left.

_**-memory-**_

_After eating a finch, Lakefrost found his other siblings. They rested by the warriors den before the double patrol they were assigned to be in. No one else was around and he felt confident about being clear with them. He quickly told them what he was about to do._  
_  
"You still have to find the cats working for the Dark forest," he told them afterward. "I'm sure they're causing this trouble. You might find the RiverClan ones at the border."_  
_  
"I have no idea what makes StarClan think we can even do this in a quarter moon," Mallowstalk muttered. "We don't even know which cat in RiverClan or WindClan it is, and we only have a choice of four from ThunderClan." She shook her head, looking skyward where the sun started curving down._  
_  
"They trust us to do this. And I need to find Honeybee. We need her, she's our sister."_

_He suddenly wondered if they were angry that he had the easy job. He would be too, he thought, flicking an ear. They had this almost impossible task and all he needed to do was find one cat. He looked at them to see what they thought. Badgerface just had a confused and concerned look on his face, not uttering a word. Mallowstalk had the hard, angry flash in her eye._  
_  
"What makes you think Honeybee isn't the one we're looking for?" she demanded._  
_  
Lakefrost blinked. What? Of course he was looking for her!_  
_  
"What if she's the cat in our Clan working for Tigerstar?"_  
_  
"How can you say that?" he hissed suddenly, his claws digging into the dirt and pine needles._  
_  
Before he could continue, Mallowstalk spoke, "She ran away right after speaking to StarClan. Maybe she was feeling guilty, maybe it's just a distraction ploy on her part to keep us from finding the others. She took a long time to side with you and Fawnfur."_  
_  
"Well so did you!" he snapped in her face. He turned away, his tail thrashing, his fur raising, pricking against his skin. How dare she. She couldn't be right. Could she?_


	11. Chapter 9: Sunstorm

Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter

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**Chapter 9**

The sun filtered through the gray leaves, shining off of the black bark. Sunstorm opened one eye and then the other. She could spot the blue sky through the leaves. She slowly stood and stretched. Her sore body had become stiff. She still ached, but it wasn't as intense. She got out of her dirt nest and padded away from the tree. With enough room, she started spreading her limps, easing out the stiffness with stretching.

Part of the morning was gone by the time she felt loose and better than she had yesterday. She sat down and looked at her paws. The claws were still broken and not long at all. She wouldn't be good in any fight. The best she could do was bite and dodge, and hope she had enough power to hit. She licked her paws, cleaning out the dried blood which stuck in the fur between her pads stiff and hard. When she was done, she realized how hungry she was. The fish last night hadn't been very appetizing. She sniffed, hoping for something better.

There wasn't any smell of mouse nor were there birdcalls. She hadn't expected much, but she could still hope. She yawned and then stood up. She looked around and listened for the push and pull of the waves. It wasn't long before she found what direction it sounded from. She started walking.

She broke through the black forest trees. The distant horizon rolled, flecks of white jumping into the green air. Underneath her paws, the sand became looser, sloping down to the water's edge. She stared out, just letting a cool breeze rush over her, blowing her ginger-brown fur.

"Sometimes I wonder if there's anyone out there."

Sunstorm looked over her shoulder and saw Forest. The yellow-ginger tom with brown stripes came nearer. When he came close enough, she could see his different colored eyes, one circled by white.

"I followed your scent," he told her.

She nodded and turned away. She felt better with him somehow. He wasn't as threatening as he'd been the other day. Now that Hawthorn was gone and not playing the helpless she-cat, Forest seemed like a nice and caring tom. Of course, she still couldn't get out of her head that Hawthorn had said he'd killed her.

"I look out here when I need space from Hawthorn," he meowed. "If you look harder, you can spot islands."

She glanced at him and then back to the water. She squinted, fighting against the rolling motion of the waves and the glare as the sun rose higher in the sky behind her. There. She thought she could spot one still space. It almost seemed like a boulder just sitting on top of the water, far out there, but not as far as horizon.

"Do you think there are cats there?" she meowed.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "I hope to find out one day. When I leave the Black Forest with Hawthorn."

She turned her head to stare at him.

"What exactly happened between you two?"

He blinked and lowered his head.

"When we were alive, we were mates. I couldn't stay in one place for long, so I wandered. I'd always come back to her though. Then one day I saw her with another tom. He was a dark brown tabby with a stub tail. She rubbed her head against his and her tail wrapped around him. They stood so close together."

He took a shaky breath. "I thought she'd betrayed me and my love. I knew it was her though. She had the same white fur, and black belly. Not many cats look like that. Later, when I went to our meeting place I confronted her. She didn't know what I was talking about. I thought she was lying to me." He swallowed. "I got so angry at her. I-I killed her. I thought because she'd betrayed me, she wasn't worth even loving and to punish this other tom, I would take her life from him."

Sunstorm stared at him with wide eyes. "Then you killed yourself?" she meowed.

He shook his head. "No, I wouldn't do that. I left her there and started walking away, determined never to come back to that part of the forest again. Two nights later a storm came. I waited it out under a bush. I saw a dark brown cat wandering, getting wet. I would have thought he was older than twelve moons, except that his head and paws were bigger than normal. I realized he was still young, probably not much older than a kit. So I called to him. I invited him to spend the night with me so he wouldn't get wet. He accepted. He seemed a bit, well. . . annoyed really, but something in his eyes looked desperate, as if he'd lost something. I took pity on him. The next morning we spoke. I don't remember what about, but I probably asked him his age and his name. I invited him to come with me. He probably needed someone to care for him, and I was tired of traveling alone. He declined and left."

Forest grew silent and stared into the distance. Sunstorm watching him, suddenly caught up in his story. What had happened to him in his last days of life? She wondered what it must have been like for him to have killed his mate, even in anger. What sort of jealousy could drive a cat like that? Or was it no emotion at all?

"It wasn't long before the tom returned," Forest continued. "I thought he'd changed his mind. We spoke and I offered him the mouse I'd caught. It looked like he might accept when _she_ came."

Sunstorm's ears went up. He'd said that so oddly, with so much longing.

"She looked exactly like my Hawthorn. I was stunned. I couldn't even move. It seemed as if my mate had risen from the dead to find me. I said her name. The white she-cat spat at me. 'No,' she growled. 'Her daughter you monster.'. . . And then I knew. Oh, then I knew. I'd made a mistake. I hadn't seen my Hawthorn with that other tom. It was this she-cat. My daughter. A daughter Hawthorn had wanted to show me. We'd had a family together and I didn't even know it."

He swallowed and Sunstorm saw his eyes water. She could only hold her breath, her heart stilled in shock. This was just incredible to hear.

"And then the tom came," Forest meowed quietly. "The brown tabby tom with the stub tail. I knew then it had to be my son. And the other tom, the one I saved from the rain. That was also my kit. I looked between them. I didn't know what to make of it. How had they found me? I was too much in shock to defend myself when they jumped on me. They pinned me down and I couldn't struggle free as the she-cat started clawing me. It hurt. It hurt almost as much as my heart when I realized that I had killed my mate for no reason and my kits were seeking revenge. Then the tom I'd rescued from the rain took his turn, and he plunged his teeth into my neck. I died."

Forest sighed and closed his eyes. "Then I woke up here in this black forest. Alone, not sure what was going on. I wandered away, looking for someone to explain. Then I found my Hawthorn. She was here with me. She looked starved, frightened. When she saw me she ran. I chased her, determined to tell her I was wrong, that I was sorry for killing her. She never listened to me, but I took care of her, catching fish for her to eat, making sure nothing happened to her, all the time, just trying to talk. I even asked her about the kits one day. She told me their names: Sky, the she-cat; Rabbit, the tom with the stumpy tail; and Deepforest, the kit she'd named for me."

He gave a sad smile. "I just wished I had let her explain to me that day instead of striking out. I could have known my kits. I could have helped her raise them. I don't even know what happened to them after they killed me. I don't think they even knew who I was."

"I'm sorry," Sunstorm meowed after a pause. Those were the only words she could think of.

He swallowed. "Now you know what happened. Why I need to talk with her. Sometimes I get frustrated when she doesn't listen. But this time I went too far. She just needed to stay still and I thought that if I could hold her, she might actually listen for once."

Now Sunstorm could see why he'd attacked his mate just yesterday. If she had to live hear alone with Hawthorn, knowing she was responsible for the other's death, she would try to make up too.

"Should we find her?" Sunstorm asked.

"Why?" Forest replied. "She'll just run again. I need to give her space for a few days. Then I'll try again. If she sees how patient I am, maybe she'll change her mind. I'd hoped that one of these days she'd come to me. But it's been moons. Even when I don't bring her fish, she refuses to find me, or to hunt for herself. So I have to help her."

Poor Forest, Sunstorm thought, looking at him. He tried to help his mate and she still didn't pay attention to him.

"Well, maybe I can help," Sunstorm told him. "If I tell her how much you are sorry, she might listen to you herself."

"I hope," he meowed.

She stood up and shook her body. The sand dropped from her belly and legs. In front of her the water continued to move and behind her leaves rustled in the wind. She turned to the yellow-ginger tom and looked at him. Something moved in her memory. Something he'd said sounded familiar to her.

"What did you say your kits were named?" she asked.

"Sky, Rabbit, and Deepforest," he answered. "Why?"

"Deepforest," she muttered. "That name sounds so familiar. What did he look like?"

Forest titled his head and watched her. "He was a dark brown tabby tom. He had the greenest eyes too."

Then it hit her. The rogue. Her eyes flashed as she remembered that leaf-bare.

"He came to visit our Clans once," she meowed.

Forest's ears lifted. "You know him? Is he dead? Is he here?"

"Oh," she shook her head. "No. It was when I was living. I was teasing you yesterday about being older. I only died this newleaf. It should be greenleaf down below, so it hasn't been long. Deepforest came to our Clans two leaf-bares ago."

"You're saying you've meet him?" He seemed almost desperate to know.

Once again Sunstorm had to shake her head. "I never met him. Ever. But I know about him. He caused a war to happen between our Clans. You see, Deepforest used to be in RiverClan when he disappeared suddenly. Everyone thought he'd left just like he'd come. But that leaf-fall trouble started. Prey was stolen from WindClan, ThunderClan, and RiverClan territory. They all wanted to start fighting each other, to find the thief. Then the ShadowClan deputy died. That leafbare everyone met up on the WindClan moor. There was this huge battle and many cats died. Then the ShadowClan cats came and they had Deepforest with them. They claimed that he and a ShadowClan she-cat were planning on taking over ShadowClan and then the lake. They killed the she-cat and decided since Deepforest had hurt everyone, they could do what they wanted with him. So WindClan took him. He escaped that night because everyone was exhausted and no one's seen him since."

Forest looked at her. He was obviously confused. She probably hadn't made much sense to him. He'd have to know the Clans and the terms after all.

"I was a kit then," she told him. "I just heard about everything. And I also _saw_ it."

"What do you mean?"

"I had a gift when I was alive. I could see the future on occasion. And I saw Deepforest in ShadowClan. Mostly I saw one of my Clanmates, a Fallingsnow. She and he were connected somehow. It was during this time I wasn't sure what would happen or who would even win. Because things kept changing. But there was one future that stood out more than the others. One where Deepforest and Eveningbreeze did succeed and took over ShadowClan. They became the leaders. Deepforest and Fallingsnow became mates and she finally convinced him to go back to the old way of life. Eveningbreeze was going crazy, killing off cats she thought were against her, and the other Clans were thinking about attacking, because they thought she was trying to take their territory. Well, Deepforest killed Eveningbreeze and peace came back to the lake, and Deepforest became leader of ShadowClan and had the name Deepstar. He and Fallingsnow became some of the best rulers of the lake, they made ShadowClan strong."

"So this happened?" Forest questioned.

Sunstorm shook her head. "It was only a possibility. It didn't happen because Eveningbreeze didn't succeed in taking over ShadowClan. In the end, Fallingsnow became the leader, in a roundabout way. She's a great leader too. And Deepforest left, so he could be anywhere."

"That's, I guess, good news," Forest meowed. "I never knew one of my kits could do so much, or have to potential to be a leader."

Sunstorm tried not to roll her eyes. Didn't he even hear her say that Deepforest was a killer? She frowned. He probably already knew that. His own son had killed him.

"We should tell Hawthorn," Forest was meowing. "I think she'd like to hear about her kits. It might help her listen to me. Will you come and tell her what you told me?"

Sunstorm paused. She had said she'd helped. Maybe this was her chance. Anyway, Hawthorn might just trust her over her mate. She might be able to repair the damage Forest had caused. If she could get them talking, then she could feel she'd done something right for them.

"All right," she agreed.

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**Okay, so a somewhat uninteresting chapter. It just connects this story to ****Deep in the Forest ****and tells you how Forest and Hawthorn got to the Black Forest.**


	12. Chapter 10: Fawnfur

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to reviewers: _Goldenstream _and_ NatureGirl 27

_This is a small chapter so you get two. I realize I made a mistake in chapter seven and so I fixed it. Lakefrost has been kicked into the apprentice den like he was supposed to be, that tricky tom._

_And I know some of you are anxious for me to continue Retaking Summerheat. I'll get on that. No worries._

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**Chapter 10**

Sunlight glimmered down as slants through the green leaves. Thick, puffy, wool-like clouds drifted by, dotting the blue sky. Birds flitting in the branches knocked the leaves, scattering shadows and making them dance. I hoped over ferns in the undergrowth, landing on soft grass. A large fallen log covered in toadstools lay to my side, a black bird hopping across, boring its beak into the crumbling bark.

As I landed, it saw me and flew away cawing. Its talons tore away some of the wood, sending it raining down on me. I winced, ducking my head. When it was finally gone I looked up after it. The forest had gone silent around me, frighten.

"You made me lose it!" a shout startled me.

I lowered myself, tail filling out as my ears darted around. I calmed my quickened heart when I realized it was just my sister. The ginger-brown she-cat who looked just like me leaped over the fallen log. She glared at me, her golden eyes like smoldering ash.

"I'm sorry," I told her. "I didn't mean to scare it."

She sighed and shook her head. "It's fine. It's not like the Clan really needed it or anything. This greenleaf has been plentiful."

I nodded and looked at my sister. She stared into the shadows as if unconcerned, but I knew I had hurt her pride. No cat liked missing prey, least of all young warriors.

"Who are you hunting with?" I meowed, sitting down. I wrapped my tail around my legs. It had been a long time since we just talked. We weren't alone together that often. We'd grown apart since kithood. My sisters and I got closer when we finally became warriors, but after Sunstorm's death, my family just drifted, avoided talking about it, or really looking at each other except in passing. Perhaps our mother and Morningsong had more in common; after all, they were both warriors while I took on the healing art.

"Owlface, Pricklethorn, and his apprentice," she meowed, copying my position to rest on the soft forest floor. It didn't look like she was in a hurry either. The happiness I felt that she was willing to stay was dashed away with her words.

"Them again," I grimaced. "You're always with those cats."

"Well why not?" she challenged.

"It's just you never used to like them. We always used to be together. We've been so far apart lately. I don't even know what you want anymore." I didn't want to argue with her though. She had her own reasons for being with them I'm sure. Even if I wasn't fond of the group. "I miss you."

"So do I," she whispered quietly. "It's been so long."

I glanced up at her. She stared off into the distance, probably remembering our past. I could certainly remember it. I'd get caught up if I wasn't careful.

"It's been a long time since we just walked together," she continued. "Or hunted together. Remember the time when we all worked together to chase away that badger?" she laughed.

"Yeah," I meowed. "I remember. Sunstorm was around then. The day before our first Gathering as warriors if I remember correctly."

"You would," she smiled at me. "Probably could see the very moves we did to make it fall down that slope and sent it running into WindClan territory."

I nodded. Yes, I could if I wanted to and she knew it. Just like I knew she could see things going on in the present. I wondered if she'd seen anything lately. I'd just never asked before. I didn't know what she saw. She'd never been so open about her visions. Not like Sunstorm or me. I wondered if she could see the troubles stirring in the other camps.

"So how has life been for you?" I meowed.

"Fair," she jerked her head. "Not too busy."

"You've been guarding the ShadowClan border for a while."

"Someone has to stop them from coming over."

"They haven't tried again since the fight," I told her. It hadn't been so long ago. She still bore the scratch marks, just like her companions. The shallower cuts were already closing, but the deeper still had brown scabs. I examined them with my medicine cat eyes.

"Am I going to live?" she meowed with pretend concern.

I giggled. "Yes."

"Good. That means I can fight some more ShadowClanners."

I frowned at her. "Why do you want to fight them so much? What is with you guys?"

She frowned back at me. "Nothing."

"But you-"

"Someone has to protect you," she meowed, reaching out with a paw.

I stared at her while her paw rested on my own.

"They've been so bold lately. And that one tom, Lakefrost. He's too interested in you. We have to teach them to stay in their place."

"But, Morningsong, there isn't anything between us."

She stared at me and I shut my mouth.

"There may not be. But Owlface thinks so."

"Owlface doesn't know anything. He's a big liar," I growled, anger filling my chest. I pulled my paw from under my sister's ginger-brown one. I kept one shoulder turned to her so she couldn't see my face.

"_He_ may not know anything at all," Morningsong stressed, "but something was between you and him."

I tilted my head just a bit to watch her from the corner of my eye. What 'he' was she talking about? Lakefrost or Owlface?

"You promised Owlface you'd be his mate," she meowed.

"I did not. I only said I'd hunt with him and do as he asked."

"To protect that ShadowClan tom. That isn't something an innocent medicine cat does."

I felt my face burn. "Well, what would you have done?" I growled.

"Told him no and leave me alone or I'd rip his ears off."

I sighed and faced her again. I know she would. She'd told him that after Sunstorm died and Owlface started padding after her. Once rejected by my sister, he'd turned to me. I guess I hadn't scared him enough to avoid me and that got me into this mess.

"You're right," I sighed. "It's just, I couldn't think. I didn't know what to do."

She nudged me and smiled gently. "I don't know what is going on between you and that Lakefrost or why you wanted to meet with him. I don't think it really matters much now that he's not allowed back onto our land. You won't be seeing him again. But you and Owlface do have a problem and you made a mistake giving into his demands."

I nodded. She was right. She usually was.

"But why should we let that hold us back?" she meowed. "We have things to do, a life to live. We need to get back on track. No more padding after ShadowClan or encouraging them to come over here."

I lowered my head, knowing she really meant me. It probably did look like I was encouraging them.

"My friends and I will be here to see to it," she assured me. "We won't let them over. Ever. They'll stay in their territory and not start wars. You can count on it."

I knew she meant to make me feel better, but I could only feel my heart sink. Morningsong was so mistaken. It wasn't about that at all. I needed Lakefrost. We needed to talk, to communicate to do StarClan's will. She thought she was protecting me and the Clan, but she was so wrong.

"Why are you friends with them?" I asked.

"I just got different friends is all. We want the same things," she answered after a pause. "We don't like the way they're staring at our border or our she-cats."

"But why him?"

"Owlface? Because despite the problems between you, he's a good tom."

"But he's turned the Clan against me."

"If he didn't your own actions would have."

I had no reply.

"Did you want anything else?" she asked.

"No," I told her.

She tilted her head and watched me for a few more heartbeats. "You remind me so much of Sunstorm."

I blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

"So determined. You're so focused that you forget to see the big picture. You two can't see the enemies about you and are so innocent of it all and of betrayal. She might have seen the future, but she was so blind sometimes. Couldn't live in the moment. And yet, you are trapped in it. Blinded by the past and what is happening to you with Owlface. Both of us are unable to rely on the future our sister told us to expect. She shouldn't have died."

I glanced down, unable to meet her eyes. She hadn't been this open with me for so long, I didn't know what to say.

"You've gotten over it," I meowed quietly. "You're just so strong."

"You're wrong," she replied, her eyes turned away from mine. "I think about her every day. How cruel it was for her to die like that. So young. She had so much to do a great life ahead of her." She took a quick, shaky breath.

I blinked, my eyes on her wrinkling face. She closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"Out of all of us, you're doing what she said we would," she meowed when she opened her eyes again.

I tilted my head.

Morningsong noticed and smiled at me. "You're a medicine cat. She said you'd always do it. She saw it. She's never going to be a leader. And Cinderheart is the deputy. She's going to be leader after Bramblestar finally dies. There's no way I'll be deputy now."

"You can't be serious," I meowed. "He's not going to die yet."

"He's not getting any younger."

"But Firestar lived a long time."

"He was the longest leader there was," Morningsong nodded. "But Bramblestar was his third deputy and the longest. He's older now. He can't last forever."

I sighed and nodded. She was probably right.

"I'm happy for you though," Morningsong bumped my head. "Doing what you love." I noticed though that seemed a bit forced.

"Are you sure everything is all right?" I asked. She sounded kind of doubtful or worried, a crease between her eyes.

She tilted her head and her tongue poked out. She hesitated just a heartbeat more. "I wasn't going to say it, but are you sure you're happy? You don't want a mate at all?"

"Not one bit," I exclaimed, my tail going straight. "I'm quite content. And Jayfeather once told me the whole Clan was my family, everyone my kits. So I can't be unhappy."

She blinked at me. "I guess."

"I hope you aren't thinking I really want Owlface?" I questioned.

She shook her head. "No. I really doubt that. Besides he's lost interest in you."

"So quickly?" I meowed dryly. After the moons of being on my tail?

She smiled, her eyes just slits. "He thinks you're crazy."

I stared at her, my mouth open. For a while I could only hear the chirping of crickets and two squirrels hopping on the branches above. I could even hear Pricklethorn teaching Rosepaw nearby.

"What? Why?"

"Something about him working for some dark forest cat or another. About us being in danger and dying because of him. He thinks you've got cobwebs in your head. I told him to lay off and leave you alone. You're very busy and worried lately and Bramblestar and you aren't on the best terms."

"You know about that?" I winced.

"Who doesn't," she sighed. "We can all see it and sense it. Most of the Clan doesn't seem to be on your side anyway. And with Bramblestar not happy with you it gives them license to do what they want, say what they want. They do think you're breaking the code and even a spy for ShadowClan."

"Do you feel the same?" I whispered.

"No," she shook her head. "You're my sister. I don't care what they say or what you do. You've made mistakes. Who doesn't? And I know you'll fix them. So I trust you. Just as long as you know what you're doing and doing the right thing."

I nodded. "Thank you."

She smiled at me again, blinking slowly. "Just try to keep out of trouble, eh?"

"You know me," I tried to smile back. I knew though that her version of trouble was what I had to do to save the Clan. I wondered what she'd think if she saw me with ShadowClan again. Would she finally turn against me and ignore me like the others in our Clan? I don't know if I could handle being rejected by my family too. So far Cinderheart had stayed out of it, but I knew it would only be time before Bramblestar spoke to my mother and she tried to sort things out.

I waved my tail at my sister and walked away. I let her get back to hunting. There was nothing more I could do. I had spoken with my sister, learned how she felt about the border battle, and that she was doing this for me, despite what reasons the others fight for. I could only wait for the full moon now. There wasn't much I could do but wait for Lakefrost and his siblings to find the cats responsible for our downfall. I wasn't having much luck in my own Clan. The one thing I had learned was that I was wrong about Owlface. There was no way he was working for the Dark Forest. He hadn't understood one word I'd said to him that day when I fixed his wounds. If he had, he wouldn't have told Morningsong or the others about it. He wouldn't tell Morningsong I was crazy.

I sighed. So I was wrong. I didn't want to risk ostracizing other members in my Clan or making them all think I was insane and deceitful. So I decided I wouldn't leave my mentor's side. Jayfeather was the only cat in my Clan I could rely on now. I had to speak with Lakefrost soon. I looked skyward. Only four more days until the Gathering. Only four more days until the end.


	13. Chapter 11: Badgerface

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Words he does not hear are represented as dots. Longer lines for more words missed, shorter for fewer._

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Lakefrost left yesterday, taking Ashpaw with him. Badgerface wondered how far they'd have to go. From what he'd gathered in his deaf ears, the two were going after Honeybee. He didn't know why his sister had left. He wasn't sure if that was just him or the whole Clan was confused, but no one seemed to mind. They didn't seem concerned about the she-cat. They didn't talk about their missing Clan member. Only Orangestripe seemed sad, staring around camp listlessly, and Fallingstar seemed worried. Everyone was too busy preparing for battle. There were cats shoring up the bushes with thorns and branches, cats mock fighting. They didn't know what direction the battle would come from, ThunderClan or RiverClan, but they would be ready.

Badgerface lay near the warrior den, resting after training with Ivytail. He was exhausted from the double patrols Fallingstar had them all on. He rested in the sunhigh beam of sunlight slicing through the needles of the trees in to the clearing. A few clouds moved quickly overhead, dowsing them in shadow and then scattering for the light again.

"Badgerface."

He looked up to see his ginger sister Mallowstalk standing over him, blocking the sunlight. Fortunately his hearing was working that day. He could even hear the birds singing. He watched his sister. Her ears were half down on her head and she was frowning. She seemed convinced her sister was working for the Dark Forest and hadn't been in a good mood since Lakefrost left.

Badgerface wasn't so certain that Honeybee was a traitor. Deviousness wasn't in her nature. She hadn't acted strangely until the morning after the visit to StarClan. She'd seemed so occupied before the border skirmish, right after waking up, as if her dreams had haunted her. He knew about that. His dreams told him he wasn't the best warrior, that he would fail and hurt the Clan because he couldn't hear.

"Tigerheart wants us hunting," Mallowstalk meowed when she had her brother's attention. "The Clan needs to be fed."

Badgerface nodded. Who better to ask to provide for the Clan than the best hunter. Mallowstalk was known for staying out in the forest for long periods of time just hunting. Although lately she'd stayed near camp. Staying by her siblings, keeping an eye on Lakefrost so he wouldn't do anything mouse-brained. Perhaps when the battle was over, things might get back to normal, and Mallowstalk wouldn't be around camp so often.

He stood up, not wanting to pass this opportunity by. He hadn't been hunting in a long while. This moon he'd guarded the camp so many times. He'd been secretly impaired by his hearing loss and felt the only thing he'd be good at was guarding. He'd never be able to hunt without hearing his prey or hearing how hard his paws pressed down. To save himself shame and be somewhat useful, he volunteered to protect the camp so everyone else could keep them fed and safe. Now that he could hear, he wanted to find one of the biggest birds and bring it back.

Just as he and Mallowstalk turned for the camp wall, Bluepaw ran into the clearing. The ferns and leaves shook in her passing. The apprentice came to a halt, staring wide eyed and panting.

"RiverClan!" she yowled.

Tigerheart, the only leader in camp as Fallingstar was on the border patrol, rushed over. Without telling her to, the apprentice continued.

"We caught a group hunting on our land. Our patrol attacked. The noise drew the other patrol, but more RiverClan cats heard. It's more than over prey or the border now."

Tigerheart nodded and turned to the rest of the cats in camp. There weren't many, but it might be enough to turn the balance of the battle.

"Acornpelt, Stoneheart, guard the camp. Everyone else, go."

He led the way from camp, the cats not named racing after their deputy. The two toms left to guard the camp quickly stood near the nursery and the elder's den, keeping their eyes open for any cats trying to sneak up on them.

Badgerface's heart pounded, a smile lighting on his face. The tiredness left his mind and his muscles stretched as he flexed his claws. He wanted to fight. His siblings had all the fun that moon. The only time he'd gotten to use his battle moves was when Lakefrost crossed the ThunderClan border the first time and a patrol found the four. Badgerface had known then they were in the wrong and hadn't enjoyed that fight. This one was different. He could finally get some frustration out. Frustration that the Dark Forest was taking so long to make a move. And now he could rescue his Clan leader. Fallingstar was in that border patrol, already leading them into the battle.

The five cats left at camp (Tigerheart, Bluepaw, Ivytail, Mallowstalk, and Badgerface) raced through the territory for the RiverClan border. They leaped over the fallen logs and around the boulders and few bushes. The ground started to become wet underpaw. They reached the border. Shrieks and yowls filled the air. Just before the open ground separating RiverClan from ShadowClan, cats rolled over each other, many jumping and slashing, while others were chased just to turn around and claw their pursuer. Fur flew and blood ran. It was a wonder no twolegs from the twoleg-greenleaf-place hadn't come. Perhaps they'd avoided the lake because of the clouds. It was also surprising RiverClan had dared crossing that open ground just to fight with ShadowClan.

Tigerheart stopped before they entered the fray, he motioned them over. "We need to target the leaders. Find Pinefur or Rainstar. Come at them from behind. Mallowstalk. . . . ."

The deputy's mouth still moved, his eyes flickering from face to face, but Badgerface heard nothing. The empty sound filled his ears like thick cotton. His eyes widened in horror. No! Not now! This was important. He had to hear this! His claws came out, piercing the ground as if trying to hold on.

Tigerheart looked at him, speaking. Badgerface just stared at him. He nodded as if he understood, but inside the eagerness had left him for cold dread. His heart beat calmly when it should have been as rapid as a mouse's. He felt so sick.

The dark tabby deputy turned away from them. He started slinking off around the group. Bluepaw trailed after him, Ivytail by their side. Mallowstalk's tail brushed his flank and he turned to her. She jerked her head in the opposite direction. Badgerface slunk after her, his breathing ragged, his throat constricted. What was he supposed to do? What had Tigerheart said? He could only keep his eyes on his sister's ginger tail as they walked around the battle.

In his own world of no sound, only he existed. He could feel his heart beating, his chest heaving in and out, every pawstep shifting on needles and moss, but there was nothing on the outside. He couldn't hear the wind in the trees. He certainly couldn't hear the battle anymore. What before had overtaken the battle was a mere nothing in his mind. He turned his head to look at them.

Through the tree trunks and the few bushes he could see them. They moved quickly and fiercely, snarls on their faces. Gorseclaw, a RiverClan warrior, leaped up and Olivespot dived under, avoiding the crash. She jumped up again, turning on the gray tom with ginger marks on his legs. She caught his tail, pulling on him, her claws digging into his back legs. Robintail came to his Clanmate's rescue, pulling his claws down Olivespot's belly. The she-cat released the tom and her mouth opened in a silent yowl.

There was nothing in his ears and he felt so detached from it all, just an observer. If these were his Clanmates and enemies, he felt nothing for them at all. He felt nothing but a deep cutting worry, that he was a failure, that he was in danger and a fool for not knowing what Tigerheart wanted.

Mallowstalk suddenly stopped and Badgerface caught her movement from the corner of his eye. He halted, facing her. She stared at him. Her mouth moved as she meowed something to him, her eyes darting to the fighting Clans. He stared at her, just nodding his head, his jaw firmly closed, not sure if he were meant to reply in any way or what he was supposed to say. She grinned at him and started running past him, directly for the battle.

Badgerface turned in surprise, her tail barely missing him as she darted around the trees and for the fighting. Badgerface hurried after her, determined to keep her in his sight. What she did, he would have to copy. Tigerheart had them together for a reason after all.

They passed the first two tussling cats. Orangestripe shot them a glance before striking the paws out from under his opponent. Mallowstalk didn't stop but continued on for the thickest part of the fighting. Badgerface glanced up. He thought he could spot the light gray and brown tabby pelt of Fallingstar. From the other side he could even see Tigerheart coming in. The deputy's mouth was open and Badgerface thought he might have been calling a battle cry. His companions echoed it and Badgerface realized maybe he and Mallowstalk were meant to cause a distraction. He felt his face burn. Already he'd failed.

Mallowstalk continued to run on. She reached out and struck a RiverClan warrior's ear. The warrior hissed and ducked away, giving Snowbird time to jump on him. They continued on through the fighters. She then leaped on top of a RiverClan warrior, pulling the golden tabby she-cat to the ground and off of Wrenpaw. The other cat's claws stuck in Wrenpaw's brown fur and she cried out, a soundless scream accompanied by an arching back and still tail, yellow eyes staring into the tree tops.

Badgerface hurried forward, pulling his Clanmate free before turning on the RiverClan she-cat.  
The two she-cats lay on the ground. Weavingreed struggled in Mallowstalk's grasp, his sister had her jaws buried in the loose skin around the warrior's nape, her back claws kicking down. Weavingreed tried to flip over, but Badgerface stopped her, clawing into her chest. She bared her teeth and Badgerface thought she might have yowled, but he couldn't hear.

Mallowstalk suddenly let go and the RiverClan she-cat shot up, racing away with her tail low. The sound rushed back and Badgerface stood there, dazzled as shrieks crashed into his ears. There were some battle cries, names and insults, and the heavy sounds of cat claws hitting flesh and cats falling to the needle filled ground.

" . . . . your own. . ."

His eyes locked onto his sister as all the sounds faded again into nothing. She closed her mouth, done speaking. Fire blazed in her eyes, blood at the corner of her jaws, a scratch along her shoulder. He nodded slowly as if he'd heard her.

_'Your own'_? His own what? Did she not want his help? He cringed as she turned away. Maybe he was supposed to fight his own battle while Tigerheart and the others showed up. He wasn't doing his assignment. He kept his eyes on Mallowstalk's back as she pounded toward the center of the group and Fallingstar. He sighed and turned away finding a new opponent.

Just as he tripped Pepplepelt, eyes darted up and cats seemed to turn. He glanced in the direction of the RiverClan territory to see Tigerheart, Bluepaw, and Ivytail racing in, heads thrown back, claws flashing as they pushed aside cats. The RiverClan warriors scattered, fearing more cats had arrived. Badgerface spotted Mallowstalk with Fallingstar, facing Rainstar. Tigerheart was making his way there, but from behind Mallowstalk, a gray and white cat jumped on her, forcing her down. Heartened, the RiverClan cats regrouped, forcing Fallingstar back.

Badgerface felt something strike his shoulder and turned in time for Pebblepelt to topple him. His belly was exposed and Pebblepelt lowered his head and opened his mouth moving as if speaking. When Badgerface had no reaction, Pebblepelt's ears tilted and confusion lit on the silver face. Badgerface used that time to fling the tom off of him. He heaved himself up and shot forward.

Paws pounded around him, he could feel the vibrations in the ground, but he didn't look up from Pebblepelt. The tom crouched low. As Badgerface jumped, Pebblepelt sprang up. Badgerface was expecting that and twisted in the air, slashing upward with his claws, parting fur along the side of the gray tom's head. Pebblepelt came crashing down, wincing, unable to open his right eye. Badgerface landed on his feet and fought to keep his balance. A shoulder rammed into him, shoving him away. He hissed and turned to his attacker. It was only Redsky.

". . . . .retreating. . . " he suddenly heard before all sound left him.

Badgerface looked up in shock. ShadowClan was running back into the territory. RiverClan formed a line behind them, snarling and taunting as ShadowClan fled on their own land. He nodded and hurried way with Redsky as Pebblepelt limped back to his Clan.

The two toms retreated behind the first row of trees. Some of their Clan waited. Teeth flashed, but when Knotfur and Brownfeather saw Clanmates, they relaxed and let them pass. Not much farther away, the rest of the Clan had stopped. They stood heads bowed, sides heaving. Badgerface looked around. He and Redsky were the last cats back.

Fallingstar looked around, walking to her warriors, sharing words and smiles, seeming to encourage them to sit or lie down and care for their wounds even when she continued on, blood leaking from her legs and neck.

A ginger she-cat smelling of blood and pines came near, underneath those scents was the familiar one of his sister and he knew it was her before he even turned to face her. She snarled at him. The expression on her face made him recoil. He sat down hard as she leaned in close.

". . . . weren't supposed to lose! We didn't have to retreat. We could have won that battle if you'd just been there to stop _someone_ from jumping on my back!"

He could only blink at her.

"Stop it, Mallowstalk," Fallingstar meowed, hurrying over, but Mallowstalk had already drawn attention. "It isn't his fault."

"It is," Mallowstalk protested. "Tigerheart told him to help me get to you so we could protect you and hold off the cats while he and the others surprised them from the back. It was working too before I was attacked."

"It doesn't matter," Fallingstar growled. "We all came out alive and RiverClan won't keep the territory. They don't want to cross the twoleg-greenleaf-place every day just to mark the border. We only suffered a blow to moral."

"But he was supposed to be there! I told him not to go off on his own and to keep to the plan. He just ran off and wasn't there to help." She turned back on him and Badgerface's ears went flattened. So that's what she'd said.

"What is wrong with you?" she spat.

And the world was wrapped in cotton. He heard nothing more.

"I'm fine," he muttered.

Mallowstalk got a line between her eyes as she stared at him in confusion.

"I'm fine," he said louder, pronouncing his words slower. "I'm sorry. I just forgot."

Her teeth flashed as she growled something back.

Cats moved around them and Badgerface glanced at them. Their heads had turned away and now they stared at the area they'd just fought. Badgerface looked over his shoulder as Knotfur and Brownfeather came closer. Knotfur shook her head, looking disappointed. Suddenly they all flinched, ducking down. Badgerface stared about in confusion, wondering what the problem was. He just caught a glimpse of a dark wing as a large bird disappeared into the trees.

Mallowstalk looked up at him, concern drowning out the anger. She opened her mouth and he knew she'd asked something, but he didn't know what to reply. Cats stood up again, turning to each other, fur ruffled, but otherwise unaffected by the startled crow. As Mallowstalk stood, Badgerface got on his feet. Mallowstalk scanned the area, but her eyes turned back to him. He continued to watch her, wondering what she wanted him to say. Again her eyes drifted and he felt a touch on his shoulder.

He turned around and saw Fallingstar now staring at him. Her mouth moved. He felt apprehensive now. What did they want? What did they keep asking? His heartbeat picked up and his stomach felt tight. This hadn't ever happened to him before. No one had ever questioned him like this. He could usually fade away into the background when he was deaf, avoiding demanding questions.

Fallingstar suddenly flinched and stared over his shoulder. She glared, her eyes narrowed and her nose wrinkled. Badgerface turned to look and saw everyone staring at Mallowstalk in shock. Badgerface knew she'd done something, just knew it. She stared at him with odd eyes. She raised her paw and waved it in front of his face. He flinched away.

"What are you doing?" he meowed.

Mallowstalk looked at him, then glanced at Fallingstar. She shook her ginger head and then back at him in pity. Suddenly he knew his secret wasn't so secret anymore. He looked around. Everyone was staring at him with wide eyes. They whispered to each other, still staring at him. He could feel their gaze scorching over his pelt like flame. They were judging him, realized what a poor warrior he was. That he was impaired. He could never be right in their eyes again. He was a no good warrior unfit for any task. He was the cause of their defeat against RiverClan. It was because he couldn't hear that RiverClan was celebrating their victory.

Fallingstar touched his shoulder again, but he couldn't take it anymore. He raced way, brushing his pelt against Mallowstalk as he ran deeper into the territory. He didn't know if anyone ever called him back.

_**-Line-**_

Later that night he huddled under one of the few bushes in the territory. He'd managed to catch a mouse, but it was nearly a miss. It heard him and only his speed help him fill his belly. He swallowed now, his throat tight as he realized he'd never make it on his own. He couldn't go back to the Clan, not when they knew how impaired he was. It would never be the same. They'd never rely on him, give him strange glances, avoid talking about his hearing. But he couldn't live alone either. He didn't know where to go. He wouldn't know how to live. He would die, unable to hear foxes or twolegs, scaring away his prey. It was all hopeless. He just wished he could die now and end his misery.

Ginger fur stood out in the night. He peered from his bush, passed leaves and branches and the little red berries, and saw Mallowstalk. She stood by the pine trees, head tilted as she looked around, her nose twitching. Her wounds were covered in cobwebs. She spotted the movement and came over. He tried to leave first, but she was there. Her jaws grasped his tail, her paws holding him back. He struggled, trying to pull away, but she held on. Her claws weren't out and her teeth weren't piercing. She just held. He lay out, his body extended on the ground as he squirmed, trying to get away.

Finally he stopped and looked up at her. She stared hard at him and then let go. She slunk forward and lay by his side, resting her head on top of his own. He could feel her throat vibrate. He wasn't sure if she was purring or speaking, but it felt calming just to be like this.

The world filled with sound. He could suddenly hear the flitting of bat wings overhead, skittering of lizards in the needles, the slight breeze rattling in the bush leaves, and most of all, his sister's purr. He nuzzled closer, wishing that was the last time his deafness would return, but knowing full well it was not.

"Let's go home," Mallowstalk whispered. Then she sighed, her body tense. "StarClan! I don't know what to say to you. You can't hear a word. How am I supposed to make you understand?"

"I can hear," he told her.

She pulled away and shared at him in surprise.

"When?" she demanded. "Now? This sunhigh? Later this moon?"

"It comes and goes." He avoided her eyes.

"Well that explains it," she shook her head with a sigh. "How long?"

"Since before I became a warrior," he meowed quietly.

"Will it get better?"

"It's only gotten worse," he replied, curling his tail around his body. "I don't want to go to the elders den!"

Mallowstalk licked his cheek, cleaning off the dried blood. "Fallingstar won't make you," she assured him.

"But I'm a useless warrior. I can't hunt if I can't hear and today I lost the battle!"

Mallowstalk looked at him, her eyes wide. "You did not. I'm sorry I blamed you, but it isn't your fault."

"It is," he wailed. "I didn't hear what Tigerheart wanted us to do. If I had, we wouldn't have lost and no one would know I'm an invalid. StarClan shouldn't have made me a part of the prophecy. I'm not any help to them."

"Don't talk nonsense, Badgerface," she snapped. "You can't tell the future. You don't know if we would have won or lost if we'd followed Tigerheart's plan like a tick on an elder. And StarClan choose you for a reason. They know you can help the Clans, no matter what. You did help in fact. Who else could have made me agree to Fawnfur? I was going to refuse. You were the first to offer. Not including Lakefrost, of course. Without you we wouldn't have gotten this far."

As he listened, he felt warmth enter his chest. Her worlds helped dispel some of the self pity just a bit. She wasn't lying, just talking to make him feel better. She meant it. Every word.

"Thank you," he whispered, but she must not have heard because she gave no reply other than:

"Should we go back to the Clan tonight?"

He quickly shook his head. "They won't accept me. They. . . ." he trailed off not sure how to put his shame into words.

"They might know the truth now," she growled, "but if they treat you any differently that's their own fault. They just have to accept you the way you are now. They'll have to adjust for you not you for them. You are still their Clanmate. Still my brother. We don't have to go back right now though. It's been a while since I've been away from the Clan for the night."

He nodded. He wasn't so anxious to return to camp, to see them again or explain. No matter what Mallowstalk said, he knew they wouldn't see him as a true warrior anymore. But as Badgerface and Mallowstalk curled under the bush together, he remembered not everyone did know what his problem was. Lakefrost, Honeybee, and Ashpaw were still unaware. He smiled as he started to drift into dreams. They wouldn't care and they wouldn't treat him differently.


	14. Chapter 12: Sunstorm

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_My one and only reviewer: _Goldenstream

_recieves a 'Sunstorm on a Keychain' plushie! _

* * *

**Chapter 12**

The black trees stood like the shadows of some great forest. The gray leaves shook overhead, sounding as if it were a warning call. Everything was strange here. No color. No undergrowth. The sand underpaw didn't make very firm ground; her ginger-brown paws kept sinking. The grit dug into her paw pads and into her cracked nails. It aggravated her, making blood seep out, dotting the trail behind her.

Sunstorm sighed, wishing for soft grass. She longed for birdcalls, for the squeaking of mice, and the chattering of squirrels as they searched for nuts. Instead she was stuck here in this black forest, following a tom. The yellow-ginger tom padded ahead of her. His tail swung through the air like a flitting bird. On his face was a smile, making her think of a kit with a ball of moss. She wondered how it must have been for him to live for so long in this gloomy place with just his mate. The mate that refused to speak with him or even listen to him.

Hawthorn let Forest take care of her. She let him fish and bright the prey to her. But she refused to listen to him when he wanted to talk, when he wanted to apologize for killing her. Hawthorn kept running away. But Forest followed, insisting on making amends, to have her understand. He longed to make up to her and to show her how much he changed. Sunstorm thought that must be love. Or devotion. Or else just insanity. She could be stuck in the Black Forest with two crazy cats.

She didn't even know where she was in the sky. For all she knew she could be on an island. Islands like the ones she'd seen across the wide water. She shivered at the thought. If that was so, she'd never make it back to StarClan. She'd given up on wanting to go to the Tribe. Of course she'd still like to see what happened to Moss and the others, but home sounded more appealing. She wanted to be by the lake and take the opportunity to look down on ThunderClan. All this talk of the Clans made her miss home like never before. She wanted to see Fawnfur again. To see Morningsong.

"Here we are," Forest meowed.

Sunstorm looked up. They'd reached some spot in the Black Forest. Patches of sunlight glinted down through the leaves, splashing onto the sand. Laying down in a dip of sand, splayed out in the center of one sunbeam was Hawthorn. The white she-cat with black belly opened one blue eye and stared at them, before it closed once more.

"Go away, Forest. I told you I don't want anything to do with you."

"I know, but this she-cat wants to talk with you."

Hawthorn opened both eyes and looked at Sunstorm. "What?"

"I haven't introduced myself," Sunstorm meowed, suddenly realizing Forest didn't know what to call her. "My name is Sunstorm. I am a warrior of ThunderClan."

"Hello then," Hawthorn meowed, closing her eyes and curling tighter. "Now goodbye."

Sunstorm's ears went back, one eye twitched. "No thanks for saving you yesterday?"

Hawthorn frowned. "Saving me from what? This tom came and found me later. A big help you were."

Sunstorm sighed and shook her head. "We got to talking," she meowed. "He was nice and showed me a place to sleep and he brought me food."

"No wonder the fish was half eaten."

Sunstorm glared. Hawthorn wasn't the most cheerful cat she'd ever known.

"Well, we were talking again this morning," Sunstorm continued, keeping her voice bright as if Hawthorn wasn't making a kink in her tail. "And I discovered I knew some things about your son Deepforest."

Hawthorn's eyes shot open and the she-cat was on her feet in an instant.

"You know my son?" She sounded excited. An eager, happy looked spread across her face.

Sunstorm just nodded, not wanting to get into any complicated answers.

"When I was alive, he came to the lake where I lived. He joined a Clan nearby."

"My son is still alive," Hawthorn smiled. Then she frowned. "Well, go on."

Sunstorm licked her whiskers and nodded. She explained everything she'd told Forest just that morning. About how Deepforest disappeared and then he and Eveningbreeze wanted to take over ShadowClan. She told Hawthorn about the life-that-might-have-been between Deepforest and Fallingsnow. Then she said how Deepforest left the lake.

Hawthorn listened to it all. Her eager face turned to sadness quickly and by the end, the white she-cat's head swung side to side, her eyes closed.

Sunstorm quickly stopped wondering what the matter was. Had her words somehow hurt this older cat? She'd tried to gloss over the parts where Deepforest had caused the most trouble, but she hadn't wanted to lie either. Now she wondered if coming had been a mistake.

"Hawthorn?" Forest meowed, quietly. He took a step nearer to his mate.

She froze, and looked up. Her eyes were like fire, glaring at him.

"How dare you bring her here," she hissed. "Telling me about my son. The life I couldn't see him live because you killed me. I couldn't be with him there to see him or to save him. It's all a punishments. Wounds to my already hurting soul. Death hurts," she hissed. She bared her teeth, glaring at Sunstorm. "I can do nothing here. I must listen to him. Be chased by my murderer, never left alone. Constantly tormented by hunger and the silence. Blocked in by water on one side and land without trees on the other. Now I have to listen about my son. Knowing that I'll never see my kits again, never have kits anymore. I'm being punished," she wailed, her head tilted to the sky, calling out her anguish. "Punished for loving this tom while in life. For even letting him be my mate. Punished for leaving my home so young. Torn from my life before I was ready, forced to stay here, be followed by memories. Why can't you just leave me alone and give me peace?"

She fled from them. Her back paws kicked dust into the air and she ran away through the trees. Still Sunstorm could hear her wailing. It faded off as Hawthorn left them. Sunstorm swallowed, looking at the last place the white she-cat had disappeared.

"She doesn't see this as a release, does she?" Sunstorm whispered. She knew so many cats that looked forward to death after long lives of service to their Clans. She'd seen kits, who hated having to die before even starting life, but accepted death and found new things to look forward to do. Never had she seen a cat think death was a place against her, a thing to torment her.

"Sometimes I think she looks for things to punish herself. Things she believes are against her or are placed to give her pain," Forest replied just as quietly. "She might have grown up in a family that believed when you died, there was nothing good to look forward too. I'm just not sure."

"I'm sorry," Sunstorm meowed. "I guess I didn't help after all."

"It's not your fault," Forest sighed. "I'd just hoped we might help her."

Sunstorm looked at the defeated tom. He'd tried so much, but still Hawthorn found reasons to hate him. She knew then what made him continue after every refusal. It truly was love.

_**-Line-**_

Later that day, Forest led her to the stream. This branch flowed from the one Sunstorm had woken up next to. While that one fed the large body of water, this small stream pooled in the center of the forest. The deep blue depths held shadows of fish. Forest leaned over, careful not to scare them away as he stuck his claws in, throwing one of the slippery meals to the sand. Sunstorm caught it while he struck for another one.

"Why don't you just leave her?" Sunstorm asked. Her paws held down the fish on either side of the flopping body. She struggled to keep it down so it wouldn't hop away from her. Who knew fish could be so hard to catch?

"What would she do then?" Forest replied. He buried his jaws in the fish, right near the gills. The gray creature stopped moving. Sunstorm quickly copied him. Her own fish ceased moving. The strong repellant taste filled her mouth resting on her tongue. What she wouldn't give for a mouse.

"She'd be alone here," Forest continued. "She doesn't know how to catch fish, the only prey I've seen here. I need to be here for her. Maybe one day she might. . ."

Sunstorm looked up at him. It seemed hard for him to say.

"I'd hope that one day she might realize that she's been running away for the wrong reasons. That she might remember herself. I have to be there then. I have to stand firm and never leave her, so that when she does need me, I'll be there for her."

Sunstorm looked down. She knew by now she would have given up on a cat as crazy as Hawthorn. The white she-cat just didn't seem to listen. Forest had been trying for moons, but still he was patient enough to wait for longer.

"What is it like where you live?" Forest asked.

"I live by a lake," she meowed.

"But I thought that the Clans lived by a lake."

She could see he was confused.

"We both do," she meowed. "In the skies above and the ground below there is a lake for both of us. We can see the Clans by looking into the lake. There is also a forest. And a wide grassy moorland. I left it actually. It was boring after a while."

And she told him about going to the Tribe and what she'd done there. He listened. His eyes glowed with interest, his tail twitching.

"I want to go there," he meowed when she was finished. "I mean, I am worried about your friends, but I want to see all these places you've been talking about."

"I'm worried about them too," Sunstorm agreed. "But I know what you mean. You were a rogue when you were alive-"

"Roamer," he meowed. "We called them roamers."

"More descriptive," she consented. "But you liked to wander then, so staying here must bother you."

"I want to take Hawthorn with me when I go though."

"She has a very good tom," Sunstorm purred. "Whether she knows it or not."

He smiled back at her and Sunstorm realized she'd found herself a friend.

_**-Line-**_

Golden eyes flashed in the darkness. Stars shone overhead, a half moon hovering in the sky like a cat's eye. His paws stepped on long grass, his body low. His ginger ears twitched as overhead bats flew and swooped, squeaking their pitched calls. His nose twitched, breathing in the scents of the dirt, the blooming flowers, and one small mouse in front of him. Jaws dripping and stomach growling, he lightly stepped down. He needed this catch, this kill if he were to continue. He couldn't afford weakness now. Not in his search.

The scents of the she-cat had faded long ago. He didn't know what direction she'd gone. But he'd find her. He had to find that she-cat with the ginger-brown fur. He must find Sunstorm.

* * *

**Oh, listening is easy but hearing is hard**  
**You see what you want but it won't get you far**

**-Tripping through Violets _by _Holly Kirby**


	15. Chapter 13: Lakefrost

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to reviewers: _Chat et Chocolate_ and _Goldenstream

_They can have Lakefrost on a Keychain plushie_

_Yes, I know Fawnfur would get this chapter, but I can't think of anything to write for her. And she isn't really the main focus of this certain story. So all you need to know is that she is with Jayfeather at this moment._

* * *

**Chapter 13**

They found the twoleg nests the next day before sunhigh. The stream curled away into the trees, but Honeybee's scent led them to the edge of the forest where the nests started. A short length of open ground spread out before their sides and the wild. Lakefrost lead them over that, looking up at the dwellings. They were tall and brown, reaching into the blue sky. Two layers of squares reflected early midday sunlight. Bushes lined their sides. They walked between two and to the black edge of a thunderpath where short grass grew. There Honeybee's scent was lost, a strong tang covering it up.

He glanced around as a monster roared by, suddenly appearing around the bend behind the dwellings. He jumped, pulling back. Even Ashpaw flinched. When the beast was gone, Lakefrost became cautious, looking both ways. He spotted a flattened squirrel on the black path. Its fur was pressed down, the bushy tail sticking away from it, blood everywhere. He shuddered.

"This is strange," Ashpaw whispered. "I don't like it."

"Neither do I," he murmured.

"Why did she come here?" the apprentice whimpered, pulling back as if he wanted to retreat to the forest.

"You're a ShadowClan cat," Lakefrost meowed, standing straight, trying to stop his legs from shaking. "We're on a mission. We don't retreat, we don't give up on our Clanmates."

Ashpaw looked up at him, and swallowing, stood. "Let's go."

Lakefrost nodded and padded to the very edge of the thunderpath. Ashpaw pushed against his pelt, but Lakefrost didn't move, as comforted by the feeling as Ashpaw was trying to be. He waited, glancing both ways. Nothing. No sound. There must not have been one coming around the bend, if there was, he wouldn't see it until too late. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"Go," he meowed harshly.

Feet pounding, they fled across. When they reached the other side, his heart was hammering in his chest. He'd heard such stories, and finally seeing the monster relit the fear of being flattened like that squirrel. When his paws touched the soft, short grass, he realized how much is paw pads had been scrapped by the hard surface of the thunderpath.

He glanced at Ashpaw. The gray tom was panting, his fur fluffed out, his eyes wide. Obviously he'd felt the same fear.

"Let's go," Lakefrost meowed hoarsely. He wandered for the next set of nests, watching for movements of rats, twolegs, or dogs.

"Can you smell her?"

Lakefrost shook his head. He couldn't. Not over all these new, stranger scents.

Ashpaw looked disappointed. He lowered his head, sniffing the grass. His nose wrinkled and he sneezed. "This place is gross."

Lakefrost smiled a half smile.

The two toms wandered in the nests along the thunderpath, a few monsters flashing by. The dwellings got wider and fences and hedges surrounded them. The sun sank overhead, not long until evening. A few clouds, white and fluffy, traveled across the blue sky. The toms had only hidden a few times from twolegs walking dogs and monsters. But they soon learned the monsters wouldn't leave the thunderpath, unless they traveled up to the nests, but then they slowed down first, giving the ShadowClan cats enough time to scatter. The twolegplace was not as bad as he'd though it'd be. There were a few tall trees, bushes, flowers, and grass. The twoleg gardens could be wild or oddly straight, but they'd found food in birds and squirrels.

Once they caught sight of a cat on a fence, but it hissed at them, threatening with claws. Not wanting to get into a fight, Lakefrost led Ashpaw away.

They didn't find anyone else, as if the cats knew they were coming and had hidden. They needed help, a guide, or at least someone who had seen a new cat like Honeybee. They couldn't spend the rest of the quarter moon in this twolegplace. They had to be with their Clan when the Dark Forest attacked. What if they returned and no one was there, or only the dead bodies of their Clanmates? He shivered at the thought.

"Lakefrost!" Ashpaw squeaked. He frowned, realizing his voice had been high and lowered it. "I found her scent!"

Lakefrost bounded over. At the bottom of a green and flowery hedge, Honeybee's familiar scent washed over him. He looked at Ashpaw and smiled. They hurried along the hedge, unwilling to go under if she wasn't on the other side and not wanting to hop on top to get a good view because they'd fall through the branches. The hedge was straight, following the thunderpath and they could easily hurry along. They caught her scent again, stronger this time. They walked on and found another. Heart pounding, he realized what his sister was doing. She'd scentmarked, staking her territory and warning others away.

The hedge ended and a small wooden gate replaced the plant. The white, vertical slats revealed a small garden, a diagonal piece distorting their view. He could smell his sister strongly and didn't hesitate as he squeezed through. His shoulders caught on the slats, but he forced his way in. Ashpaw hurried behind.

A nest stood at the end of the garden. A red and gray stone path cut its way through from the gate to the door. On either side were patches of straight plants. There was a smaller, white nest with one window. The door was open and he could see metal and red pots inside. Not a den, he realized, more like a storage place. Next to the shed was a small apple tree. Half of the branches were sheared off and it leaned over the pathway, the fruit just starting to grow.

At the very end of the path near the nest door, Lakefrost could see a twoleg bending down. At the creature's paw tips a golden she-cat stood up, leaning into the strokes. The twoleg murmured something soft, scratching Honeybee's head. Lakefrost stared in shock, expecting his sister to run or to fight back. Instead she leaned into the touch, a purr rumbling from her throat.

"Come on," Ashpaw hissed, nudging Lakefrost.

The gray tabby jumped, startled, but he dived after Ashpaw.

They hid behind a tall plant that wound its way up a short pole. The air around them filled with the strong scent of sage. The two stared at each other, speechless. There were no words to describe what Honeybee was doing. He felt ashamed at her actions. Something about it made his fur flatten the wrong way and made him queasy. She was so close to that twoleg, something so big and powerful.

A thud caught their attention, breaking their eye contact. Lakefrost peered around the plant, keeping his ears flat so he couldn't be seen. He spotted his sister on the porch. The twoleg was gone. The she-cat leaned over a bowl. He could hear faint crunching noises as if she were eating something.

Making sure no twolegs were around or in hiding, Lakefrost left the plant, stepping off of the dirt onto the stone pathway. He hurried over. Ashpaw stayed behind, eyes on the gate. Perhaps the apprentice was going to give them privacy, not shoving his nose into personal things this time. The warrior got close to the nest and she noticed him. Pulling her head from the bowl, she avoided looking him in the eye, ears down in embarrassment. She sat as if refusing to be moved.

"What are you doing?" he hissed quietly, eyes darting around, glancing at the door, making sure there was no twoleg ambush. There was no answer and he looked back at her. "We have to go home. Why did you runaway?"

"I'm not going back," she answered, her voice only a quavering whisper. "I'm not a good warrior."

He stared at her, his eyes wide. He sat down in shock. What was she talking about?

"We have to go," he meowed. "Our Clan-"

"I'm useless," she replied, her eyes shining. "I lost my first battle. I realized then how much I was just a burden to ShadowClan. You don't need me back."

"You're my sister," he breathed. "You aren't useless. Who told you you were a burden?"

"No one," she meowed too quickly as if lying. She looked him in the eye after a pause. "Name me one thing Fallingstar has trusted me with," she growled. "Any assignment, to lead a patrol, any cat coming to me for advice or help."

He couldn't think of anything. A sudden pain was in his chest as he stared at her.

"You can't because it never happened," she told him when he didn't reply. "I can't be a warrior."

"But why here?"

She sighed and looked away.

A bird sang in the apple tree. Lakefrost glanced at Ashpaw but the apprentice didn't even seem to be paying attention.

"I like it here," she meowed, drawing him back into the conversation. "It isn't so bad. I have food whenever I want. I got it just this morning without having to hunt. The twolegs didn't harm me. They're nice. Even though their touch is odd, they know all the right places where to scratch that I can't reach. My ears, my back. The other cats are friendly. We aren't at war here. I won't ever get hurt again."

He blinked and finally saw the healing wound on her shoulder. A bare patch in her flawless golden fur.

"I can't go back." She hunched over, her legs shivering.

He could smell her fear. He leaned over, licking her head, trying to comfort her. She looked up at him.

"We need you," he whispered. "StarClan called you."

"They don't need a cat like me."

He blinked, sadness in his heart. He wasn't going to change her mind. She was determined to stay in the twolegplace and become a kittypet. It hurt him so much. He didn't want it to affect him like this, the fear that he couldn't take her back home that he might never see her again if he left. He wouldn't be able to keep his promise to Fallingstar. He cleared his throat, trying to force the tight feeling to leave.

The only way he could do it was with anger. He sparked it up, drawing on the feeling of betrayal. She was giving up on him and the Clan. She'd let them all die by the Dark Forest's claws just to be safe here and eat well. He knew she was lying to him. There was something more. Something must have made her want to come here, change her mind about helping him and the Clans. How dare she hide this from him!

"Are. . ." she started slowly, swallowing. "Am I missed?"

He stared at her, his eyes narrowing. The tightness was still there, even though he tried to feel rage. Perhaps it was best she stayed here after all. She would be safe. She might not be able to help him or Fawnfur, but she would rather be here. He couldn't force her.

"Yes," he got out, his voice hoarse. "They don't know why you left."

"Don't tell them about this," she whispered, her tail curling over her front paws.

"What do I tell them?" he demanded, standing up to tower over her. "You abandoned us. We only have until the Gathering!"

She flinched away in his anger, refusing to look at him. "I don't want to be a coward. I can't go back though."

He slowly nodded. It was best if she thought that way. Then she would have no reason to return. No reason to see the devastation the Dark Forest would leave in its wake.

"Good luck," he meowed stiffly, turning away.

"Wait!" she stood, taking a step after him.

He paused but refused to look back. If he did, he knew he would beg her to come with them.

"Aren't you going to stay the night?" she meowed.

The shadows were growing as the sun started to dip below the horizon. Unseen, it colored the sky lilac and blue, the clouds growing thicker, a strong feeling hovering in the air.

"We have to get back," he told her. "We don't have long and I want to be there when the Dark Forest attacks."

She said nothing and he started walking away. He could feel her eyes on his pelt and it burned him, but he refused to look back.

"Good bye," he thought he heard her whisper.

The path felt hard underpaw, not like the soft dirt and grass and needle covered forest floor. He couldn't understand how she could choose to live in this place. He shook his head as he reached Ashpaw. The apprentice stared at him and then glanced back at Honeybee. Lakefrost passed him, starting to squeeze through the gate.

Ashpaw sighed and started to follow, his claws ticking on the stones. Suddenly the sound stopped. Lakefrost looked back to see what was going on. Ashpaw had turned to Honeybee, staring up at her. The golden she-cat sat, her ears tilted, hope in her eyes.

"StarClan needs you," Ashpaw yelled up at her. "They asked you! They knew you could help them. If they thought you were useless or not a proper warrior they wouldn't have asked. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Come on!" Lakefrost snapped.

Ashpaw and Honeybee stared at him. Ashpaw just looked confused and Honeybee lowered her head as if ashamed. Her eyes glimmered at him as Ashpaw forced his way through the small opening and out to the Thunderpath. The apprentice growled in frustration but Lakefrost walked away. Ashpaw had to hurry to keep up.

They walked along the hedge, Honeybee's scent all around them.

"I still don't understand," the apprentice meowed.

"She made her choice," Lakefrost answered. "She feels she's suited to this life more than ours. We can't just drag her back, so we must leave her."

"I mean you. Why did you stop me? We could have gotten her back."

He looked at his paws. "She's better off here. Do you think I want to drag her back to camp when she's terrified of fighting? She suddenly saw she couldn't do it. She's safer here. I don't want her dying."

"It's just not right. StarClan wanted her." Ashpaw waited for a reply.

Lakefrost said nothing. He couldn't. He felt conflicted. He wanted her with him, fighting by his side. He knew she wasn't as worthless as she thought she was, but really, what had anyone wanted her to do for them? How could see feel wanted? What would make her return? Why would he want her to go back to a place that was just going to be in a war? He knew she was safer here and that was why he wanted her to stay. He couldn't decide which was more important. And so he couldn't answer Ashpaw. He also couldn't spend more time in the twolegplace deciding which course to take. The Clans needed him.

"You do know the way back right?" Ashpaw asked.


	16. Chapter 14: Lakefrost

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

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**Chapter 14**

Fortunately he did remember the way back. They made it to the forest just as the sun sank all the way beyond the horizon. The twoleg nests became black shadows on the gray land. Lakefrost turned away, sighing and faced the forest. He didn't feel like stopping so that night they continued following their scent back to the stream.

In all three days had passed since Honeybee had run away tomorrow would make it a fourth and three days left until the Gathering. So much time had passed. There was little time to prepare against the coming darkness.

Clouds gathered overhead beyond the leaves. The thick gray blocked out the stars and the air grew heavy. Lakefrost guided Ashpaw through the darkness. The apprentice yawned, stumbling over knobby roots, his eyes drooping. Ashpaw started complaining how tired he was and so Lakefrost finally choose a place to rest. In the early morning they started walking again. They reached Clan territory after sunhigh the next day.

"We're almost there," Lakefrost assured.

"How can you tell?" Ashpaw asked thickly.

"Can't you smell the markers?"

The apprentice raised his head and sniffed loudly. "I can smell the stream."

The water continued to gurgle beside them, and the reeds brushed together soothingly. He ignored the wet and covering smell of the stream because through it all he could smell the familiar scents that made his tense muscles relax and his mind wake up. He shook his head. Ashpaw would realize it soon as well.

They walked on, pawsteps quiet on the grass. It slowly turned into crackles as dried pine needles snapped under their weight. The needles thickened and their gait became quiet again just as the markers washed over them. Ashpaw perked up and trotted over the border. Lakefrost let the apprentice lead him to camp. On the way it seemed so quiet.

They entered the ring of bushes and Lakefrost looked around, it didn't look like anyone was around. Overhead the gray clouds tinged with golden red on their edges, the few bare spots a brilliant bright blue.

"Lakefrost? You're back!"

Olivespot bounded forward in greeting, running out from the nursery. Lakefrost nudged heads with his Clanmate. Ashpaw tried the same, but Olivespot shifted away with a wince. She looked down at her son apologetically, licking him on the head. Lakefrost could see scratch marks in her fur.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"RiverClan attacked yesterday. We lost. But they didn't keep the territory fortunately."

"Who started the battle?'

"RiverClan, the prey thieves."

"Why would they want our prey?" Ashpaw meowed. "I thought they only liked fish."

"No idea," the she-cat answered. "But they did it."

Ashpaw suddenly yawned.

"You should sleep," Olivespot meowed, smiling. "You must have been on a long journey to take so long. We can talk more in the evening or tomorrow. I'm sure Fallingstar would like to hear it straight from you rather than me."

"Where is everyone by the way?" Lakefrost meowed.

"Out," Olivespot told him while Ashpaw trotted for the apprentice den. "They've been guarding both borders like a hawk watching a mouse. We can't let anyone else attack us or think we're getting weak."

Lakefrost nodded and started for the warriors' den.

"Where is your sister?" Olivespot meowed suddenly.

"She didn't come," he meowed quietly, not turning around.

"I have more bad news," she sighed. "Badgerface is deaf."

"What?" Lakefrost demanded turning around quickly. "What are you talking about?"

"You should ask him. It isn't my place to say," Olivespot meowed, blinking softly.

Lakefrost growled in irritation and continued. Almost in the warrior den he realized he still had to sleep in the apprentice den. He'd forgotten his punishment. He turned away and started over when Olivespot stopped him.

"Go," she insisted. "Ashpaw might keep you up. And I don't think Fallingstar won't mind. I think you've acted like a warrior."

"I hope she doesn't," Lakefrost meowed, but he went back. He really just wanted to be with his family that night. When they came in they'd see him. It didn't really matter where he got to sleep as long as he could. He ducked into the bush and found a bit of moss that smelled like his siblings. He could catch the very faint on of Honeybee and his heart ached.

_**-Line-**_

He didn't get much sleep. He felt as if he'd just closed his eyes when he felt nudges and licks and the loud sound of happy purring. He opened his blurry eyes, groggy and not sure what was going on. It wasn't too long after that the rest of the Clan was surrounding him. He could see cobwebs wrapped around body parts, poultices hanging from fur and healing wounds. Everyone asked what his journey was like, where he went, and why Honeybee wasn't back with him.

"I have to talk to Fallingstar first," he kept saying.

Finally Brownfeather dragged him to the Large Stump and the den beneath the wood and bark. His mother was inside, preparing for the night. Beside her lay two pieces of prey. She pushed a frog to him and he gratefully accepted. She glanced at Brownfeather and the dark brown tabby backed away.

"Is she fine?" Fallingstar asked when her mate was gone.

"She's safe and well," Lakefrost meowed through the frog meat.

"Where is she? Why isn't she here?"

Lakefrost sat up and licked his lips. How was he to say this? Honeybee hadn't wanted anyone to know her choice, but what was he to do? He had to tell the truth, but not all because Fallingstar knew nothing of the prophecy.

"She feels she cannot stay in the Clan. She doesn't think she's a proper warrior. She lost her fight and realized she doesn't feel safe here. She doesn't want battles or wounds."

Fallingstar nodded for him to continue, ignoring her own food.

"She chose a new life in a twolegplace," he meowed, ducking his head.

Fallingstar stared, her mouth hanging open. "A kittypet?"

He nodded. "She doesn't want the Clan to know."

"We can't tell them she died! Or nothing at all. Ashpaw might have already said something."

Lakefrost's heart sank. She was right. If Ashpaw had been woken up like him the apprentice couldn't help but babble what he heard to his siblings or the rest of the Clan. Not every apprentice went on a journey like that. The secret was already blown.

"I will do what I can," Fallingstar sighed. "But why did she choose to be a kittypet?"

"Safer. Food when she wants it. She isn't really trained to fight. She believes she was a burden to our Clan."

"Who told her that?"

"She claims no one," he replied. But he thought differently. He wouldn't speak badly about her, but usually it took a lot to get her notice. "She feels you didn't give her any responsibility. That you don't trust her with anything important. She believes the actions alone of her Clanmates are proof how useless we thought she was."

"So she's really not coming back?" Fallingstar whispered.

He shook his head. He would say nothing how he hadn't wanted her to return. Or say how that in the coming battle she would be safer away.

"What happened here?" he asked, interested to know how the battle had started.

"You'd better ask your siblings. Take your frog. I need to think."

He picked up the prey and backed out. As he left he saw her stare at her front paws, sighing, and shaking her head. She was taking the lost of her kit hard. He felt guilt prick at him. He'd promised to bring her home, but instead he'd made sure she stayed away. He was hurting his Clan leader, his mother, by doing this.

"Lakefrost!"

He glanced over his shoulder. Mallowstalk waved her tail at him, encouraging him to come over. He nodded and turned around. He still had questions to ask. As he went, he saw Ashpaw stumble from the den, eyes blinking rapidly. His siblings surrounded him, drawing him out to get something to eat. Lakefrost glanced at his own siblings and nodded but walked to the gray apprentice.

Ashpaw saw him. "Bluepaw, Wrenpaw, you go on ahead, I'll join you in a short time."

His sisters nodded and Ashpaw and Lakefrost were relatively alone.

Lakefrost placed the frog down. Eyes darting to make sure no one was near, he whispered, "What did you say to your sisters?"

Ashpaw licked his lips. "I told them nothing. They're kind of annoyed with me right now. They wanted to know all about it.

Lakefrost blinked in surprise.

Ashpaw smiled at him. "I know she wanted this to be a secret. I'm not a squirrel to tell everyone what happened. So don't worry."

"Thank you," Lakefrost told him.

"It's all right. She wanted it to be a secret. Fallingstar will know what to tell the Clan."

Lakefrost felt like licking the apprentice on the head, but refrained. Instead he picked up his frog and continued to his own family while Ashpaw caught up to his sisters. On the way, Knotfur wove her way over. She leaned against him, quickly licking his head.

"I missed you," she purred.

"I missed you too," he told her. His eyes softened as he took in her familiar form and scent. She was relatively unhurt, but there were still cobwebs on her fur, some of her tangles torn.

"Did you want to eat with me?" she asked hopefully.

He looked at her, tempted to be with the long haired black she-cat, but he was also pulled to his family.

"Not right now," he sighed. "I need to be with Mallowstalk and Badgerface."

"I understand," she told him. "I'm sorry Honeybee didn't come back."

He nodded and she quickly left him so he could continue. He laid down beside them, finally able to finish his frog. They waited for him before Mallowstalk spoke up.

"Where is she?"

"Elsewhere," he meowed vaguely. It really wasn't his place to say, not even to his siblings.

"She really is working for the Dark Forest, isn't she?" the ginger she-cat snorted.

"No," Lakefrost hissed at her. "She isn't at all. She only felt the Clan didn't want her or need her. She felt useless and a burden. She's safer where she's at," he continued grudgingly.

"Well why don't we all go where it's safe then!" Mallowstalk meowed sarcastically. "She's giving up on us. I don't blame her. This whole thing is useless. We haven't found anyone in the other Clans."

"Have you even been looking?" he asked sullenly.

She turned away.

Lakefrost shook his head. Now really wasn't the time to be talking about the Dark Forest. Not in the middle of camp with all their Clanmates gathered before nightfall.

"What happened while I was gone? I heard there was a battle."

"RiverClan fought us," Mallowstalk told him.

"We win?"

"No."

He glanced at her. She seemed angry but at the same time sad. He wasn't sure what was going on. He looked over at Badgerface, but his brother wouldn't even meet his eyes. He thought back to what Olivespot had said that sunhigh.

"You two weren't hurt?" he meowed quietly.

Mallowstalk turned on him, the fire back in her eyes. "Yes."

"I'd heard that. . ." he wasn't sure how to say it. Obviously Badgerface would take it hard, if he could hear at all. " . . . Badgerface was deaf because if it."

She glanced at Badgerface and his green eyes blinked at her. The brown tabby brother turned to Lakefrost and he held his breath.

"Not because of the battle," he replied quietly.

"Well obviously you heard me now," Lakefrost answered. "So Olivespot must have been mistaken."

Badgerface let out a strained laugh. "No, I can't hear sometimes. It lost us the battle."

Lakefrost stared.

"It did not!" Mallowstalk growled. "How many times do I have to tell you? You had nothing to do with us losing." She turned to Lakefrost. "It started before we were warriors. He's lived with it a long time now and we never noticed. It just proves what a skilled warrior he really is."

"I just didn't want to go to the elders' den," Badgerface muttered.

"But any other cat would have given up," Mallowstalk replied. "You're still strong despite the obstacles StarClan put in your path."

"I don't think they caused it," he meowed.

"Well they still called on you to help the prophecy even though you had this problem. They have a lot of trust and faith in you."

"Strong words for a cat who doesn't even want to help prevent it," Lakefrost snorted.

"I just think it's too late now," his sister turned on him. "Honeybee's gone. So what's the point? She just gave up. Badgerface had more right than her, but he's still here, not running off like a kittypet."

Lakefrost caught his breath, his eyes wide. She couldn't know! He quickly shook his head. No, not possible. It was just a saying.

"If she doesn't think there is reason to stay, we are already lost," she sighed. "So we just need to wait out the battle. ThunderClan has Fawnfur. They'll be fine."

"You can't go back to that!" he exclaimed, rising. He felt anger against her. They'd gotten this far! They had answers from StarClan finally and now she wanted to give up. She wasn't any better than Honeybee! The gray tabby tom stalked off, leaving them behind. His Clanmates watched him as he stalked away. He left the camp as the sun slipped beyond the horizon, the orange sky deepening into purple.

He sighed, shaking his head as he walked around the pines. Mallowstalk wasn't right. They couldn't leave Fawnfur on her own. She still needed them just like ThunderClan needed them. Of course it might be too late to stop the Dark Forest, but that didn't mean they couldn't help the other Clans defend themselves. If only Honeybee hadn't left. Mallowstalk wouldn't have gone back to her usual protests.

He wondered what Badgerface thought. Usually he didn't ask his brother things, nor did the dark brown tabby offer his opinions. Now he knew why. Badgerface was deaf on occasion. No wonder he wouldn't have spoken, afraid he might say the wrong thing. He was surprised he hadn't realized how oddly his brother was acting. There had been times he'd wondered what was bothering Badgerface, but he never would have guessed this. His brother still kept up his warrior duties despite his impairment. He wasn't a burden to the Clan at all.

Lakefrost looked up as the scent markers filled his nose. He'd reached the border. His paws had brought him back here. Of course he'd meant to go back to the stream, back on the path to Honeybee, not to ThunderClan. His tail twitched. He knew there was something he had to say to her. Something he'd just learned from his siblings. It wasn't a fully formed idea and kept hiding back beneath the leaves of his mind.

"I can't get her involved again," he told himself stopping as he turned away from ThunderClan to walk to the stream beside the mountain. He wanted to go back to camp, but his paws refused to move.

He stared back out into the darkness. Heavy clouds now drew closer. The air was so still and there wasn't even a sound from prey. The storm was coming. He could feel it. And he knew he wanted Honeybee by his side when it finally came. She didn't realize what she was giving up or what she'd done to them. StarClan wanted her, Lakefrost wanted her even though he felt she was safer away, and Mallowstalk felt it was best to give up if they all weren't together. He had to bring her back. At least try harder to make her understand.

Suddenly he heard movement and a shadowy shape tore itself from the undergrowth. He had been found by ThunderClan again!


	17. Chapter 15: Sunstorm

_Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to reviewers: _Nature Girl27, Goldenstream, _and _Chat et Chocolate

_Not a good of chapter as I hoped for, but it works. Anyway, up to this point I'd written all of Sunstorm's chapters in one day. So that's why Sunstorm's story was so closely related and not so time jumpy as the others. I had a headache at the end, so I hope this chapter comes off clearly. Enjoy:_

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**Chapter 15**

"I hope you find your way home," Forest meowed.

"I hope I do too," Sunstorm sighed. "Thanks for your help."

"Thank you for yours."

She just nodded even though she knew she hadn't done much for this yellow-ginger tom. She hadn't solved his problems. She might have even made them worse. But she'd tried. And now it was time to return to StarClan. He'd led her to the edge of the black forest after they had a meal of fish. Hawthorn had long since disappeared somewhere, but Forest was sure to find her like always.

"Go with the sun," he murmured to her.

She twitched her tail and started off away from the water and away from the trees. The sand irritated her aching paws, but she tried to ignore it, hoping they wouldn't start bleeding again. It had only been two days since she'd woken up on the beach, water lapping at her back legs. Her claws had been broken and cracked, her bones and joints and muscles ached from her fall off the mountain.

The ginger-brown she-cat glanced behind once. She could see the forest of black trees growing on the edge of the water. Gray leaves fluttered above with a breeze. It reached her, blowing her fur the wrong way. She could definitely say she was glad to be leaving that gloomy land. So dark, so unhappy. It seemed to mirror the feelings of Hawthorn.

Sunstorm shivered and picked up her pace. She couldn't wait until that place was out of sight. She turned her attention to the sand in front of her. It seemed to stretch on endlessly. The water pushed and pulled to her right, covering the horizon, islands dotted the rolling waves. To the left, the sand stretched on. Somewhere there she thought she could see a shadow. Perhaps it was another forest. It was too far to reach in one day, but she hoped to arrive there by tomorrow.

Suddenly the sand became damp in front of her. She looked up and saw she'd arrived at the stream. She sniffed around. Yes, this was the place she'd woken up. Though starting to fade, her scent still coated the area.

Sunstorm took a drink from the stream. The cold felt soothing to her. When satisfied, she looked up, judging that she had almost half-a-day to walk. The sun had started to sink in the sky. It dipped down toward the wide water. Sunstorm watched it for a short time and then started walking away, keeping the stream to her right. Behind her the waves continued to pull at the sand. Whsssh, whsssh. She knew the water had taken her here, so the water would take her back. Once she found the mountains, she felt she could find StarClan.

The plan couldn't fail, she decided. Unless what Feathertail had said were true.

_"... it varies for some reason. The border lands always do. Only when a territory is marked does it stay the same."_

Sunstorm snorted. As if. The sky couldn't change all the time. The sky had to say the same, whether cats live there or not. There was no possible way the land would shift and change. So she continued walking, the shadows ahead of her, her eyes on the dark line.

When darkness came, she curled up in a sandy nest. She dug out a small dent in the sand and lay down. Just like Forest would have done, she decided. Her paws hurt when she was finished, but she was glad she'd managed to make one on her own. She wasn't as helpless as she could have been.

Morning came bright and too early in her opinion. Without the trees and leaves blocking the glare, the ground and air quickly became warm in the brightness. She was panting before sunhigh. She was grateful for the stream by her side. It provided nice drinks and then when her pelt felt too warm, she dipped in, rolling to coat her back. She didn't get muddy, not like on the mountain, because here it was only grit and no mud. The water would soaked in to her skin, taking away the burn from the sun. It also helped sooth her aching paws.

She licked them, feeling the pads toughen up again. There wasn't much she could do for the claws, but they'd grow back. She continued to walk and by night fall, she actually saw what she'd been heading for. She quickly hurried forward, not caring how dark it got.

In front of her rose trees of different sizes; some short and wide, with branches that reached downward, these were tall, thin and white, a few were little more than bushes. Others were great rounds pines and junipers and cedars. And below it all, were nice lush fern fronds; narrow, upright milkweeds; multiple colors of flowers; and moss climbing up the bark. And through it all, Sunstorm could hear myriads of sounds. Chirping of crickets, songs of birds, squeaks of mice, rustling of leaves as squirrels raced among the branches. She breathed in deep and the familiar smells hit the roof of her mouth. She felt like she was home already.

_**-Line-**_

Stars glittered above in the sandy waste. No plants grew anywhere in the shifting grit. His paws sunk in deep and he found it hard to keep his balance. Somewhere ahead, he thought he could hear a repetitive sound. It seemed familiar somehow, but through it all, he could only think about how this place was comparable to the mountains. He and the others had to cross the high slopes and jagged peaks, feeling cold even though it was supposed to be greenleaf. There hadn't been many trees there either. He lived for trees, to be near them. But he had to abandon them on this quest.

He muttered to himself, pulling his paws out of the sand. He marched onward, his golden eyes wide in the darkness. He flicked his ears. He was probably lost. He didn't know the way back home, but that really didn't matter. Finding that she-cat was more important. She was probably lost too. No wonder he couldn't find her. It all seemed hopeless. That he'd never catch her.

His nose twitched as the sand smell suddenly was taken over by another. He paused and looked up. A rolling plain of light rushed toward him, then pulled back, then rushed again. He realized it was the source of the sound he'd been hearing most of the night. It seemed to be a giant lake. He stared out at it, as the moon's almost full shape illuminated the water. Stars reflected off of it, disappeared as the water moved.

Eyes blinking, he realized just how tired he was. This water was soothing. He almost wanted to curl up right there and start dreaming. Instead, with a sigh, he turned around, keeping the water to one side, and started following the shoreline. It was obvious no cat could cross this water, so his quarry had to be elsewhere.

The tom continued until he reached a stream in the middle of his path. He quickly leapt over, reaching the other side. That's when he caught the scent. The ginger tom froze, his nose twitching and his eyes wide. She'd been here. The scent of blood rose over the sand. His lips rose over his teeth as he bared long fangs. She'd been injured somehow. He quickly started following the blood. It pooled in her pawsteps, leading to a dark shadow. When he reached the shadow, he realized they were trees. Dark trees rising into the sky, sand underpaw, no bushes anywhere. He sniffed, searching for her scent.

There had been others, he realized as their scents mingled with hers. It became confusing for awhile as he singled hers out, and followed it deeper into the forest. She'd been with someone. He could catch this other tom's scent. The golden eyes narrowed. Who had this been? Had he injured her?

The tom wondered if this had been where Sunstorm got hurt and she'd bled her way to the stream. He gave a low growl and continued searching for her. He was so close. So very close.

The scent grew stronger and his heart beat picked up. The tom stopped. In the dark, he could see a lump in the sand. He breathed deep. It was the smell of the tom with Sunstorm. His ears lifted and he hurried forward, low to the ground, eyes only on the cat lying in the sand unaware.

He sprung. Claws out, he landed on top of the sleeping tom. With a yowl, the cat awoke, flipping to his back, using his legs to push the attacker away. The ginger tom flew, but landed on his feet. A growl in his throat.

"Where is she?"

"Who?" this other tom demanded. His two different colored eyes flashed in the moon light, glancing side to side as if searching for someone.

"The ginger-brown tabby," the ginger tom insisted. "I must find her. She was just here. You were here with her. I could smell her blood. Tell me now, or I will hurt you."

_**-Line-**_

Sunstorm rose as the sun dawned. The leaves bled green everywhere. Even the bark on the trees seemed greener. She smiled. This was what a forest should look like not that horrible place by the wide water. She stood up and stretched long and slow. Then she went hunting, searching for something that tasted a lot better than fish.

By sunhigh Sunstorm became restless. She kept the stream to her right, following it. Having to duck under low branches or jump over bushes and fallen trees. The stream cut deeper into the ground and rush lower than her. If she paused and looked down she could see stones lining the bottom. She didn't lean too far over, scared of falling in and not being able to come out. It was much deeper here, and the banks much higher and steeper.

She started to get lonely. There wasn't anyone to talk to or listen to talk. For a while she even wished Feathertail was back with her. She'd had someone with her this whole journey. It was strange to have no one now. She wondered how long it would take to get back to StarClan.

Her ears went back. It could be moons. She didn't know how far the water had carried her. Moons alone. Clanless. Her eyes widened. It seemed so bleak. She'd never thought being exiled was a punishment. But now she could realize how much it was. If she'd been driven away, whenever anyone saw her, family or friend, they'd have to drive her off. She'd always be alone unless she found a cat to travel with and that cat wouldn't believe in StarClan or the code. She wouldn't have anything to do all day. No one to care for. Just hunt for herself or keep walking. That's what life was like now, she could see, but at least she had a destination. No matter how long it would take, she'd make it to StarClan.

The ferns moved ahead. She froze, crouching down, making less of a target. She looked, her ears swiveling to find what had brushed the undergrowth. She hoped it was just a squirrel. She'd feel silly, but at least she'd be safe. Nothing moved for a short time and Sunstorm had a feeling whatever it was had left.

She stood up and started walking once more. She kept her steps light, her ears still listening. Still, she wasn't prepared when a furry bundle fell from above. A small dark shape landed in front of her. Large yellow eyes stared up at her, and then the kit raced away. Sunstorm stood there, one paw raised in the air, her tail starting to puff out in fright. She could still see the ferns shaking where the kit had disappeared.

She glanced around, wondering if it would come back, but nothing move. She started walking, not sure if she wanted to continue in the direction the kit had gone. It wasn't exactly dangerous, but that kit had frightened her. The scent continued upstream and Sunstorm was forced to follow. As she walked, she thought she could hear voices following her.

She glanced around, but still she couldn't see who they were. Finally she had enough.

"Get out here now!" she growled. "Stop following me and show yourselves."

The area around her went silent as birds realized she was there and the crickets stopped singing. Nothing moved. And then a dark shape pulled itself from the bushes. The little kit she'd seen before stood in front of her. It shivered as if scared. Head lowered. For a while, she just stared at it, sniffing. It smelled like a tom.

He kept his head lowered, but she could see him looking.

"Get out here," he whispered.

"No," a reply hissed from the bushes.

Sunstorm looked up and spotted a little tortoiseshell hiding under the low leaves.

"Move it," Sunstorm growled.

The eyes widened and out popped the kit. Now two of them stood in front of her.

"There aren't any more of you are there?" she questioned.

They shook their little heads, not meeting her eyes.

"Good. Now, why are you following me?"

The tom nudged the she-kit. She shoved back and then they were hissing at each other.

Sunstorm felt highly amused. These were definitely kits.

"Stop it," she meowed, waving her tail.

They lowered their own tails and turned to her.

"Would you play with us?" the tom asked.

She blinked at him.

"We need someone else," the she-kit meowed. "Please?"

Sunstorm wasn't sure how to answer. "Where are your parents?"

Now they didn't know what to say. Sunstorm suddenly realized how mouse-brained her question really was. This was StarClan: the skies. They'd died. That didn't mean their parents had.

"All right," she meowed. "I'll play."

Their eyes glowed. "Hurray!" they yelled.

Sunstorm really didn't know what she was getting into.

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**Okay so I've been uploading pictures on DeviantArt. If any of you want to see the cats, go there.** http: / catofthestorm. deviantart .com** So far I only have Duststripe from **Retaking Summerheat** up, but I'm working on the others.**

**Plus, if you already haven't been over there, I've posted two more chapters for **RS**! Yeah! But the story isn't quite over yet. . . **


	18. Chapter 16: Fawnfur

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to reviewers: _Nature Girl27 _and_ Chat et Chocolate

_If you look at the deviantart page, Frog and Lightberry are now on it._

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**Chapter 16**

I could see him standing there. His gray tabby fur nothing but a ghostly form in the dark night. The moon remained hidden beneath the thick clouds and air felt thick enough lay on. Sometimes I wondered what those clouds were waiting for. When would they release the rain? Was that the Dark Forest's plan after all, to keep us hidden from the stars and moon? Just clouds keeping us apart?

I didn't want to believe that. There was no way the Dark Forest could control the weather. I shook my head. My ear tips brushed the ferns as my tail curled near my side. I was reminded why I'd come to the border. The Clan didn't feel so welcoming to me. I could feel their glares even when I was with Jayfeather. A few cats refused to let me treat them. And though other cats sought to include me, there wasn't much they and a medicine cat apprentice could do together.

He started to move and I realized I was missing my chance. I couldn't let him get away. It had been so long since I'd seen him. The last had been the night we'd visited StarClan together. We had to talk. I had to know what he and his siblings had found.

I rose from the undergrowth. My ginger-brown tabby fur brushed against the ferns and bushes as I jumped across the fallen leaves. I raced for Lakefrost. He tensed, eyes growing wider as he became aware of my movement. Ears folded back, he turned on me.

"Wait," I cried.

His ears went up and the snarl left his face for a small smile.

"Sorry," he meowed. "I thought I was under attack."

"It's only me," I purred, bumping heads with him.

"Of that I'm glad," he purred. He stepped back and looked at me. "What are you doing out at this time of night?"

"I needed to get away from my Clan," I sighed. "There have been . . . difficulties. Most of them seem to hate me now for any number of reasons they can think up."

He tilted his head again and peered at me. His eyes narrowed quizzically and his tail refused to stay still. Finally he closed his eyes and sighed, his paws moving in the sparse grass.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think we'd get in this kind of trouble. I can't believe your Clan doesn't trust you," he meowed.

"I know," I answered. "After all, I'm trying to protect them. I know they don't realize that, but it's still so unfair."

"You think StarClan would have been kinder to us," he snorted.

I nodded and glanced around, becoming aware just how open we were. I could only hope no one from my Clan or from his were wandering about. So far no one sprang out from the darkened trees to challenge us. Only the undergrowth rustled and small creatures darted about. There wasn't even the wind to move a thing, so I felt confident we'd hear somecat coming before we saw or smelled them.

"What about you?" I meowed. "You can't still be punished if you're out here alone."

He winced. His tail lowered and he didn't quite meet my eyes.

"Actually I still am, but no one has stopped me yet. And I was kind of hoping I could leave the territory before anyone came after me."

"Leave the territory? Why?"

"Remember how I said Honeybee was missing?"

"Yes," I nodded.

"Well, I found her a few days ago. She left the Clan. I didn't bring her back last time."

"So you're going again?" I meowed. It was the only thing I could think to say. I wanted to ask him why she'd left, but I felt it might be personal. Maybe he didn't want to talk about that. He certainly hadn't told me where she'd gone, just that she'd left the Clan. So if he was going to find her and he came this way . . . did that mean she was in WindClan?

"Yes," he meowed, catching my wandering attention. "I didn't try so hard the last time. I thought she'd be safer out of the fight. But I know she has to be here now. StarClan wanted her; otherwise they wouldn't have called her. I have to make her see that."

"Oh. I'm sorry about stopping you then."

"No, it's fine. I've been trying to think about what to tell her. I don't know what I can say to her that she won't have an excuse for staying where she is."

I nodded. "If it's any help, tell her I need her. Every one of you is important to me. You can help me in your own ways."

"I'll tell her," he answered, a grateful smile on his face. "I just hope I can get her back before the Gathering."

"Is everyone else okay?" I asked.

His gray ears twitched and he shook his head. Suddenly I wondered if he was annoyed with me and if he just wanted to leave and look for his sister.

"While I was gone RiverClan had a border battle with us."

I blinked in surprise as my ears went back.

"So my Clan is still recovering from that. And I just found out that my brother is deaf."

"Badgerface?" I meowed. How could he be deaf? I was shocked and wondered what could cause such a thing. I was a medicine cat and I knew injuries that caused deafness or blindness were very rare. Most cats were born with impairments and died before they became warriors.

He nodded sadly. "It so odd. He's been hiding it for a long time. I can't understand why StarClan would do that to him and then call on him to help us look for those cats. It just doesn't make sense. And he thinks he's so useless and that he can't help us because he's deaf. And my sister, who's just fine, runs away because she thinks she a burden to our Clan!" he sighed and his voice lowered to a harsh whisper. "It's as if every creature in this forest is against us. I feel that we are losing. It's too much. We haven't even spoken to anyone in the other Clans, we don't know who our enemies are and the Gathering is coming too quickly!"

My eyes met the ground and I wasn't sure how to respond. This was the most he'd poured out his true feelings to me. I couldn't bother him with my own. Yet, I also felt some resentment. So much was happening to him that my own troubles were nothing in comparison. He'd been out of territory looking for his sister, there'd been a battle, his brother was deaf, and now he got to leave again. I was being left out of everything, as if I wasn't important. There was nothing exciting in my life, just being considered and outcast by my Clan.

I shook my head. Perhaps I shouldn't be so gloomy or angry. I should be glad no bad news was in my life, that everything was fine with my Clan for now.

"Sorry, if I'm not making much sense. I'm sure I'm scaring you. I wish it would just rain," Lakefrost meowed, shaking his pelt. "The air has been so heavy."

I nodded. "Soon. I hope the clouds leave before the Gathering."

He met my eyes and I knew he had the same thoughts as I'd before. Were the clouds the Dark Forest's plan?

"I really should go before it gets too late," he meowed. "I need to get Honeybee back before it happens."

I really wanted to speak longer with him, but I couldn't hold him back. He was right. If he wanted to bring Honeybee back before the Gathering, he had to go now. I wished him well and then watched the ShadowClan tom walk off, the border on one flank as he traveled away from the lake. His tail rested low and twitched slowly. A determined look hardened the blue eyes. I could see him for a long time, a lighter shape drifting between the dark trees. Finally a low pine with thick needles covered him from my sight completely.

I sighed and turned around. It was time I returned to my Clan.

When I entered the gorse and bramble tunnel, my vision narrowed with the blackness, only a circle of light guiding me onward. I left the tunnel, my fur snagging on a thorn, scratching my side. I spat and tugged away. When I faced the quarry again, I could see a cat sitting. My ears folded down as I realized how foolish I'd been. The Clan would know I'd been out of camp. Bramblestar would know. He just needed one more reason to take me out of Jayfeather's paws and punish me as he wanted.

"Fawnfur, Fawnfur," the cat sighed slowly, shaking her head. "What are you doing?"

My ears lifted slowly and I could feel my whiskers move forward and my eyes narrow slightly.

"Morningsong? I thought Dewstep was on guard duty."

My sister gave me a half smile and shook her head. "He was, but I offered. I knew you were still in the forest. And we both know the Clan doesn't need to hear about it."

"Thank you," I breathed out. I'd started walking to her the moment I saw who it was. Now I reached her side and so leaned into her warm pelt. She nudged me back, but otherwise kept sitting upright.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "You know better than to wander alone. And right now I refuse to believe you've been seeing that ShadowClan tom."

My jaw fell open and I looked at her wide-eyed. She continued to gaze at me with calm, almost icy eyes. How could she know? I wondered. Then I snorted. That was a silly question. She'd probably "seen" it. She'd known what was happening the moment it happened, living it and seeing it with me. I thought over Lakefrost's and mine conversation, wondering if we'd said something about the prophecy. Something that would need explanation.

"You have to stop doing that," she hissed. "I can't keep protecting you. If you keep it up, I might not want to."

"But I'm not doing anything wrong," I protested.

"You are friends with a ShadowClan cat. You have to admit, it doesn't look right."

I lowered my ears and hunched over. She was right once more. As much as I wanted the Dark Night to be over and my true loyalty and protection for my clan revealed, I was nervous as to how the Dark Forest would accomplish their destruction.

"Go to your nest," Morningsong murmured in my ear, giving me a lick. "You should rest. I'm sure tomorrow will be better."

I nodded in agreement and padded away. Nearly to the quarry wall I thought I could feel someone watching. I glanced up and saw eyes peering from the warriors' den. My breath caught in my throat, but I lowered my eyes and kept walking. In the entrance to the medicine cat den, I turned around and glanced out. Owlface had jumped from the den and approached my sister.

"She was at it again, wasn't she?" he asked, his voice a low irritated rumble.

"Yes," Morningsong snapped. I was surprise to see her teeth bared. She looked so different from before. "I swear, if she doesn't stop, I'm going to get someone to escort her!"

I watched her burning eyes dim for a heartbeat, her jaws slackened. Then, suddenly her head jerked up and she stared into my eyes, aware once more.

"Sleep, Fawnfur," she meowed, a more pleasant demeanor on her ginger-brown tabby face.

Owlface looked up, but he looked over my shoulder. He didn't know where I was. But they were both aware that I was watching. I backed away, retreating to my nest. My head swam in confusion. How could she act so differently in such a short time? Why wouldn't she escort me herself if she was so concerned for me? No one would think it odd to see sister and sister together. What was she doing that she didn't want to be with me?

I felt bad and confused as I circled in the mossy nest. As I laid my head down, my tired eyes on my gray mentor, I could smell my old bedding. It hadn't been changed for a few days now. I didn't mind much, it still had my scent, but I felt as if I'd been forgotten, or purposefully ignored.


	19. Chapter 17: Lakefrost

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

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**Chapter 17**

He squeezed through the white slats of wood. The gate latch rattled against the post. He froze, eyes darting. He saw no movement in the garden and let his fur lie flat. But he wouldn't relax. No, not in the middle of a twoleg place. He continued through the gate, leaving the thunderpath behind as he entered the hedged-in garden.

Morning sunlight slanted down. It passed through the leaves of the apple tree, spattering a dappled shadow onto the gravel path which led from the gate to the dwelling's back porch. On either side of the path, neat rows of plants grew in patches of dirt enclosed by low red bricks. Flowers in full bloom sent out thick scents overwhelming his sister's scentmarks. Bees droned, flying from flower to flower in a rapid dance. Vines rocked on their poles as a cool wind blew away some of the clouds overhead. But the gray masses fought back, plunging the ground into misty shadow.

Lakefrost stepped away from the gate and started down the path. The gray tabby tom flicked his low ears and his blue eyes scanned the garden. Where was his sister? Last time she'd sat on the back porch, eating from a bowl of food by the door while a twoleg stroked her back. Now he couldn't see the bowl and her golden pelt was nowhere in sight.

The rocks crunched as he padded onward. A narrow white twoleg nest settled in his gaze. He approached it. This door was open and he peered in to see a low wooden table leaning against one side. Reddish-brown round containers rested beneath the table, bags of dirt filled the nest, and shining metal with flecks of rust hung from the walls. But no Honeybee. A stale scent wafted from one corner, rising from a pile of rages. They'd been used once as a nest, but she hadn't been back to that place.

His brow furrowed and he pulled his head out. He glanced side-to-side, fur fluffing against the cutting wind. Where was she? He stared at the ground, his shoulders hunched. She hadn't left had she? Maybe she'd run from here after he found her, determined to never see him again. Or maybe the twolegs had gotten rid of her. His heart clenched at the thought. In either case, he probably wouldn't see her again.

A squeaking noise caught his attention and he looked up. The back door to the twoleg next had opened. He tensed, searching for a place to hide, not wanting to be trapped in the narrow nest. He was expecting a twoleg to come out, but instead she appeared. Her gait was stiff, a frown on her golden face. The door shut behind her and she sighed, sitting down.

He smiled. He'd found her. She was still here. The tom started walking over, not wanting to call out in case a twoleg came out or his voice startled her. She rose and stretched long, her eyes closed. Her tail waved in the air as her front paws reached out.

"Honeybee," he meowed. One paw rested on the first step up to the porch. Her eyes opened and she stared down at him. Her jaw opened slightly.

"Lakefrost," she breathed, smiling brightly. She straightened, sitting back down.

He hurried up the rest of the way and purred, licking her head. She returned the gesture, leaning on him.

"You came back," she meowed.

"Yes, I couldn't leave you," he answered.

She sat back and gazed at him.

"They let you in?" he asked.

"Lock me in more like it," she sighed. "Every night, as if I can't handle myself. Then they force me out every morning. And on a day like this when it's going to rain, I'd rather be inside."

He nodded as if he understood, as if even wanting to be inside with those tall creatures wasn't repulsive.

"Are you really happy here?" he meowed. His eyes remained lowered on the stone porch. Perhaps he really didn't want to know, but if she was content, he shouldn't try to take her away to a life she despised.

"I am . . ." she meowed.

He looked up, eyes wide and his heart pounded.

". . . content I suppose," she continued. "Like I said, I'm safe here. I'm not a burden to anyone."

"How are you a burden?" he meowed. "We all miss you. Orangestripe misses you."

"He does?" she meowed, blinking rapidly. "You do?"

"I'm sorry about before," he started. "I just wanted you to stay here away from the battle, but I was wrong. We need you there. StarClan called you because you were the right cat to fulfill that duty."

"But I'm useless," she told him. "No cat trusts me with anything and I can't fight."

"StarClan trusts you. Fawnfur even trusts you. She needs you. She told me that herself. And you are not useless: you're my sister, my Clanmate, a warrior. You are still alive and healthy. You aren't deaf!" His voice ran in the stillness.

She stared at him with wide eyes.

"Are you?" he whispered as the leaves blew away from the question hiding in his mind. Finally he knew what had been bothering him. If Badgerface was deaf, could the same thing have happened to the rest of his siblings? Was Honeybee haunted by the same problem?

"No. Why would I be?" she asked, her head tilted to the side.

"Any other problems then?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Badgerface," he meowed.

She blinked and still looked confused.

"He can't hear," Lakefrost meowed and briefly explained what he'd learned when he went back to the Clan. "So you see, he should be feeling like a burden and leaving us, but he hasn't and we won't give up on him. Like I won't give up on you."

She stared at him, her eyes shining, her mouth quivering.

"Oh, Lakefrost," she sobbed out and buried her head in his chest. "I'm such a fool. The Dark Forest wanted to tear us apart and I gave in. I can't go back. I'm not worth it."

"You made a mistake," Lakefrost agreed, "but we still want you. Fallingstar has missed you. She's confused why you had to leave. It doesn't matter what you did or why, but come back. Be with us when the Dark forest comes. We couldn't fight without you."

He could feel her head against his chest. "Yes, yes."

He felt glad. She was coming back! Her sister was no longer a kittypet but a warrior of ShadowClan.

"So quickly?" he murmured.

"I lied," she told him, glancing up into his face. "It might be safe and have everything I need, but I'm not happy. I miss you. I miss the forest and the Clan and-and Orangestripe. I want to go home!"

"Then we'll go," he meowed. Suddenly a yawn overtook him. "But I've been traveling all night to get here. Let's sleep first."

She smiled and nodded, guiding him to the narrow white nest before they went back to the lake.

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**Sorry that it was short, but that's all I could think to say for them both.**


	20. Chapter 18: Sunstorm

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 18**

The ginger-brown she-cat followed the two kits. All around her waved fronds of large ferns. Sunlight streamed downward from above through the thick layers of tree leaves. Deep shadows crossed her path as she hopped over a few roots. She landed on a small indent and stumbled.

"It isn't much farther is it?" she meowed. She stood up straight and watched as the kits jumped over a fallen log with the ease of much older cats. She wondered how long the two had been dead for and if they were able to catch their own food.

The tortoiseshell she-cat stood up on the top of the fallen tree. Her little nails dug deep into the pitted and mossy bark. She stared down at Sunstorm with narrowed eyes, a smile on her spotted face.

"We're already playing," the kit squeaked. "It's follow the leader. Now come up."

Sunstorm sighed and shook her head. She couldn't believe she'd allowed them to talk her into this. First the two kits stalked her through the forest and then their pleading eyes for another playmate drew her away from the stream leading her home to StarClan. At first deciding to stay with them had seemed the right thing to do, but now she realized just how much time she was losing.

She shook her head again and jumped onto the log. Her claws dug in the smooth bark, pricking the green moss. It felt cold on her pads. The warmth from the sun settled on her pelt and her throat felt dry. What she wouldn't do for a drink.

"I'm tired of this," the little tom growled. His brown pelt was so dark it almost looked black until a ray of sunlight glanced over his fur. He paced on the ground on the other side of the log.

"You were the leader," the tortoiseshell she-kit protested. "How can you be tired? I'll lead then!"

"No," he grumbled. "Let's play scent-and-seek."

"All right!" the kit's ears rose and she kneaded the log, tearing shreds of moss off. "You okay with that?" She turned to Sunstorm.

The ginger-brown tabby nodded slowly. She had agreed to play after all and that meant any game they chose.

"Great!" the tom chirped. "I ll close my eyes and you hide."

"When will you come after us?"

"When the next dove coos." He closed his eyes and sat down, a frown narrowing his features.

"Come on," the she-kit giggled, turning away and touching Sunstorm with her tail tip. "We have to hide."

Sunstorm tilted her head and gave a small smile. This was starting to remind her of when she was a kit. Of course it had been different with her siblings' gifts. There were times when they knew exactly where to find each other, either having SEEN where they'd hide, where they were going to hide, or as they hid.

She jumped from the log and followed the she-kit behind a bush.

"Where do we go?" she whispered.

The kit giggled again. "Anywhere. Make it good too. He's a good tracker."

Sunstorm nodded and carefully slunk away. She kept her step light as if stalking a mouse and tried not to brush her fur against any plant. Her yellow eyes were alert, searching for a place to hide. She saw a ditch in a clearing and lowered herself down until her belly fur touched the cool sand. She peered over the edge of the dip, her ears carefully low. She heard a dove cooing mournfully, echoed by its mate. She smiled. He was coming.

She stayed in the ditch until she saw him approach a long while later. His sister bounced by his side, her eyes dancing from patches of undergrowth to roots of tees. The tom had his head lowered, his breath sending puffs of dust from the sparsely covered path they walked. He froze and lifted his head. Ears twitching, he grinned, staring right at her.

"Found you!"

"You have to catch me before I give up!" she shouted.

She sprang up and ran for a leaning tree which top rested against the side of a low hill. Beams of sunlight scattered along her pelt as she raced away. The ground became soft underpaw as more grass and fern sprouts replaced the sandy clearing. The kits shrieked in joy and she could hear them pounding after. She leapt up, grabbing the tree with claws out and heaved herself up the sloping plane.

She reached the top and jumped down to the hill top. There she turned around, sides heaving. The two kits scrambled up the tree, slipping but determined to keep going. When they were almost to the top, she started padding away, eyes alert for the next challenge. She spotted a boulder and hurried over as two thuds sounded behind her. They raced after her. A small body leapt onto her and she stumbled. The next kit pounced and she fell to the ground. On her side, she gazed at the kits standing on her.

"Got you!" they yelled, wild grins on their panting faces.

"I give up," she moaned and flopped her head and tail back down.

They laughed and let her up.

"First to the top?" she meowed, flicking an ear to the gray bumpy boulder. They nodded, eyes shining.

"Then you find us next!" the she-kit meowed.

Sunstorm nodded and shifted her legs, preparing for the climb.

_**-Line-**_

The day past more quickly than she'd thought possible. Twilight cast a gray and red haze between the trees. Sunstorm enjoyed her time with the kits. Though her paws started aching again, her claws seeping blood from all the use, she'd been happy. Yet her mind wandered before the day was through. She felt the need to start her journey. While the day had been fun and diverting, she had to get back to StarClan. So when the kits finally laid down, curling together in a fresh mossy nest, she thought of what to say.

She sat not too far off on her own moss. They'd collected it as the sun started to fade, finding a nice clearing to rest in. Her stomach rumbled. They hadn't eaten all day and she was starting to feel weak from hunger. She decided that a nice good by meal wouldn't hurt. She got up and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" the tom meowed.

She looked over her shoulder and saw his eyes had opened. He got up and his sister untangled from him to stand by his side. They stared at her as if confused.

"I'm hunting," she told them. "Before I leave, I thought we could share a meal."

"We haven't eaten for a long time," the she-kit meowed quietly. But her soft, longing voice was drowned out by her brother's.

"You can't leave," he hissed. He walked forward, his teeth bared and glinting.

Sunstorm's fur rose as an uneasy feeling settled in her chest. The she-kit moved forward as well, her eyes growing hard.

"I'm sorry, but I do have someplace to be," she replied. She held her ground though she felt like backing away. The kits came forward, little paws taking great strides, their eyes shining eerily.

"You aren't going anywhere. We won't let you," they spoke at the same time now.

Her eyes widened and her breath caught. She hadn't realized how scary that could be. No wonder somecats thought she and her sisters were odd when they were kits.

"You're too fun. We have to keep you."

"And if you don't," the she-kit mewed.

"We will have to kill you," the tom continued. "Like the others."

She blinked and one hind paw went back. Kill? Others? These two kits? It seemed incredible. They'd been such sweet and fun loving young cats only wanting to play with someone else. She looked at them now. Their teeth were all too obvious as their lips pulled back. Their sharp needle-like claws out, muscles unlike any kits she'd seen before rippled under their dark pelts. And it was their eyes. So different from before: narrowed, but almost black. She could believe it now. They meant what they said. They would try their hardest to kill her.

The two stopped in front of her, looking up into their face.

"And if I stay?" she meowed, refusing to back up anymore.

"Then you won't be harmed," the tom told her.

"We only want someone to play," the she-kit meowed, her voice deceptively high and pleading, seeming odd on her terrifying face.

"And how long must I stay until I am allowed to leave?"

"Forever. You can never leave us," the tortoiseshell blinked her softening eyes.

"You are too much fun," the tom purred.

Sunstorm gritted her teeth. As much as she was scared they could cause her damage in an attempt to kill her, she couldn't let them do this. She couldn't stay forever. But she didn't want to hurt them trying to defend herself. They were still only kits after all, if very dangerous ones. Besides no one could die once they were already dead. Could they? Again the questions tugged at her mind. What had happened to those cats the hawk took? What about the mice and birds she'd eaten? What of the cats that faded away or never rose from their deep sleeps?

"I'm sorry," she got out from clenched teeth, "but I can't do it. I have to return to my Clan."

"Then we are sorry too," the she-kit whispered, her eyes dulling.

"Grrar!" the tom shrieked and leapt for her.

She raised her front paw in time, slapping him away. The she-kit jumped from the other side. Sunstorm couldn't defend herself. She wouldn't be in balance if she struck out. She ducked and the tortoiseshell hit the back of her neck. There she hung on, back paws pummeling. Sunstorm could feel her skin rip. She shook herself, trying to get the kit off. Her brother got up from where he'd fallen and charged her. The StarClan warrior fled. She turned tail, feeling his teeth snap on the very end and pull out fur. The she-kit lost her balance and fell off with a squeak.

"You can't run!" the tom calmly yelled after her. "We know these woods. We will find you!"

Sunstorm gasped for breath but plunged through a crack in a wall of bushes, leaving the resting clearing behind. She could hear them, pounding after as fast as they could.

Suddenly a shadow reared up in front of her. Startled, she fell back, but her paw caught on a root and she tripped. The kits rattled the bushes as they pushed through. The shadow moved, leaping over her prostrate form. He landed behind her, in front of the kits.

"Run away, you fleapelts before I tear your ears off!" he snarled.

She heard his claws land a blow. A kit shrieked in pain. Pounding paws skittered away over fallen leaves. She slowly got up and turned around to get him in her sight. Her back paw wouldn't hold her weight and she picked it up, balancing on the others. She stared at her rescuer. His ginger fur caught in a moonbeam, spiked in anger and his tail thrashed behind him.

"How did you know?" she asked.

His ears rose and he faced her. She couldn't breathe. She knew him.

"I could smell your terror," he meowed softly, so much different than the fierce tom who scared away the kits. "No cat runs like that from friends."

He walked over to her and placed his head on her shoulder. "I missed you," he purred.

"You came to find me," she whispered, closing her eyes and leaning on him in relief. "I thought you never left StarClan anymore."

"I do for you," Redfur answered. "And now we'll go back together."

"Yes," she meowed. "Together."

**The End**

* * *

**A sappy one, I guess, but next comes the final part of the trilogy: Night Divides the Sky**

**And no worries, it's not the last you'll see of the kits!**


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